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258.)

25th - 29th Feb. 1952. 

25th Feb. 
A lovely sunny day!  In afternoon I rode (alone) to Phoenix Park on bike, & returned via Knockmaroon, Chapelizod, Killeen & the Greenhill.  26th took 2.5 bus to Old Bawn & walked via Orlagh College & Woodtown up to military road & back to Ballyboden.

27th.  
In afternoon took 54 bus and walked via Willington Ho. to Hillcrest for eggs & back to Rathfarnham bus. 

28th. 
Went by 2.10 bus to Greystones to see Una Palmer & arrange what John Palmer's book & shells:  returned by 5.25 bus & home via 18 bus at 6.35.  Some drizzle in Dublin in afternoon - the first sign of rain for some time. 

29th. 
In afternoon went by 47 bus to Ballyboden & walked up military road & down Woodtown hill & back to Firhouse & Charleville Ho. where caught 49 bus home.  First purple Crocus & the Benevenagh small-flowered Sax. oppositifolia in flower in front garden.  Daphne blaggiana in back garden with a few flowers just opening.  Two squashed frogs seen above Ballyboden.

1st March 1952.
Dully, very mild & falling glass.  In afternoon walked to Rathfarnham Bridge, down Dodder to park & home.

2nd & 3rd March 1952.
Low glass, very mild, much sun!  On 3rd Chionodoxa in front garden & Sax. opp. from Benevenagh in back garden in flower.  Sax. apiculata in front W. border virtually out.


259.)

4th - 8th March 1952.

Very mild, much rain or drizzle till 7th;  8th very fine & sunny.  Prunus sp. with brown leaves now nearly all with flowers;  1st flower seen on Forsythia in Dartry Rd. on 4th;  many Almonds out by 7th including that in Kenilworth Park;  all Snowdon Sax. opp. now in flower.  Alan Mitchell reported Peacock Butterfly & large ♀︎ Bombus with tawny tail (almost certainly B. terrestris) in T.C.D. Bot. Gardens on 4th, where much hot sun (before rain!);  on 6th.  Daisy saw our frog in garden for 1st time this spring & on 7th I fed all the snails for 1st time.


8th March 1952.

MEMO.  Found 2 small Aphidius under Monoctonus caricis & transferred them to Aph. cf. fumatus Hal.  They are from Athdown, WI., (1) 13.8.1944 & Tipperary, ST., 24.5.1945.


9th March 1952.

A beautiful day, with a few showers about:  mainly very hot sun & slight SW-W wind.  Took 9.55 bus to Brittas Park, where on previous Sunday J.P. Brunker had reported 11 Whooper Swans but only the 2 Mute Swans there today.  Saw a small flock of birds (about 8 to 12) of what I took to be Sandpipers & the fields near Brittas full of Fieldfares & Starlings.

Walked from Brittas to Ballinsacorney Gap & thence via Bohernabreena to catch 1.10 bus at Old Bawn & so home.  Much Coltsfoot in flower by roadside to 1,000 ft. alt.  Hundreds of frogs in channel by Brittas Ponds & elsewhere.

The fern Ceterach officinatus [[officinarum]] in dry wall of Silurian slate stones 1/4 mile SE of Ballinsascorney Gap.  Honey Bee & Drone Fly seen & on return home a Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly in Front Garden.