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131.

15th March 1942.  

Suddenly hot, wind SW, dripping all morning.  Salix cinerea ♀︎ in garden with catkins fully open.

Went by 2.0 p.m. bus to Bohernabreena & walked up to upper dam & back by 4.20 bus, by which time the sky was almost all blue & sun very hot.  No Primroses out below upper dam & no willows out.  No bees seen by roadside colony of Andrena clarkella where the clay was very wet & sticky after the rain.

On return home found the first flowers of Chionodoxa out, against house wall, & many others showing blue buds.

Caught one ick on laurel by road along lower reservoir in Glenasmole = Aspilota sp. near atra ♂︎.  A most unexpected first ick of the season!


17th March 1942.

A beautiful mild day with much sun:  wind varying from SE to sW, but no rain.  At 2 P.M. saw a Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly flitting about Kildare St. & Honey Bees seen in garden, 14 Clareville Rd., by both Daisy & myself.  Glenade plant of Sax. oppositifolia with first flower almost open.  Slug tracks (or H. aspersa?) on front path in morning & many H. nemoralis in back garden moved to summer quarters on wall & shrubs &c.  Daffodils nearly out.

[[marginalia]]
1st Coccinella 7-punctata seen in garden after winter.
[[/marginalia]]


132.

18th March 1942.

The fourth +/- find day, E. breeze, but very mild in shelter, not much sun after noon.  Went by 3 p.m. bus to Old Bawn & walked up Glenasmole to upper dam & back to catch 6.25 bus for home.  When passing beneath Bohernabreena R.C. Chapel heard our first Chiff-chaff & waited while it sang 3 times (from two places), but no proof that there were two birds singing:  none heard in Glenasmole or on return home.  While waiting for bus at 6.20 p.m. & looking at sun-set, a pair of Sand Martins (or ? Swallows) crossed my line of sight & we watched them hawking high [[strikethrough]] over [[/strikethrough]] beyond the Dodder for some minutes until we had to enter the bus.  Owing to these being several hundred yards away & against the setting sun it was not possible for us to say what species, but from locality & flight I believe they were Sand Martins.

Did a little sweeping & although Diptera, Coleoptera & Spiders were common, the only Hymenopteron taken was with the sucker just below Moore's house, where a ♀︎ Pezomachus was found running on leaf of Rhododendron on way up.  (labelled 5.4.42!)

In front garden, on return home, noted that white crocus under front dining-room window was out & first flower of white Hyacinth out nearer Hall Door.

[At 9 AM on this day a Hooded Crow flew over garden from direction of Mt. Argus, an unusual visitor to Harold's Cross.]