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8th April 1953. Another perfect day, wind E. & cool, but hot sun from dawn to dusk. In afternoon drove to Glenasmole & left car at caretaker's lodge as usual - the lodge now empty as Mr. Murphy gone to a job elsewhere & nobody appointed in his place. Walked up E side of upper lake (& scrub & glen between the dam & St. Anna's Church) & back to car at 4.30. Heard several Willow Warblers at NE corner of the lake, but singing feebly - as if tired - & watched one feeding in Salix & saw it sing. Also saw a red Squirrel by the old ford over the Dodder below the foot bridge & a very small ♂ Orange Tip Butterfly at east end of the dam, as well as several Peacock ♂ Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies, Bombus lucorom & B. agrorum (at gorse!) ♀♀. Swept a ♂ Campoplegid ick at flowers of Blackthorn with 24-seg. ant. & head not narrowed behind the eyes - otherwise like Angitia = 

9th April.  An all sunny day but with strong NE wind.

10th April.  A warm sunny morning with gentle W.-SW. wind. Milder than of late & as still fine left home in car at 12 noon & drove to Deey Loch on Royal Canal, taking our lunch with us. Walked W. for 1/2 a mile along tow path & after lunch did a bit of sweeping, but by this

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time clouds had covered the sun & half a gale blowing so little out except a few Peacock & Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies & all swept on way back to loch were:-
Hemiteles sp. ♀, ant. 21.
Dacnusa leavipectus var. with dark legs 1♂, 1♀, and both 21.
Monoctonus caricis ♂: not mtd.
Cynipid 1, ant. 15.
Beetle 1 = Lema septentrionalis ?for Daltry.

On return to loch walked E. as far as Collinstown Ho. & plantation & noted with satisfaction that the mass of ivy smothering the crab apple in hedge just W. of the plantation & which George & I had cut the stems of last autumn was now quite dead. Sycamore in hedge just in flower & Cowslips out along tow path.

11th April 1953.  After a very stormy night, when glass fell heavily, rain set in about 8.30 AM. & continued for rest of day; light at first with strong S.W. wind but heavy in afternoon when wind dropped to dead calm as glass levelled up in centre of depression. 

12th-18th April 1953.  Cold, mainly dull weather, continued all week, with slight frost at night in the early part. Nevertheless growth in garden & hedge continued - due to showers & drizzle. The Early Purple Orchid & various sedges in flower in back garden by 18th. This Orchid I collected between Fair Head & Torr Hd., Co. Antrin in May 1913 when with R. J. Welch we were making the 

Transcription Notes:
. ♂♀☿