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37.

9th to 15th Oct. 1953. 

Mainly dry, at first warm but very cold on 14th & 15th.  On each of last two days passed the Arbutus in Butterfield Avenue, Rathfarnham:  on 14th with weather dull & very cold no Bumbles seen or heard, but on 15th there had been sun for an hour before we passed at 3.45 & though the sun can never fall on the N. side of the tree the sun had warmed things up considerably & on approaching tree I heard the deep hum of a queen bumble bee & soon located a fine Bombus terrestris at the flowers - many of which have already fallen.

Whether more than one bee present I cannot be sure, but only one identified.


19th Oct. 1953.

A very perfect day, after a wet-foggy night & mainly dull, foggy weather: nearly all sunny from 8 AM. till 4.30 P.M. In afternoon collected some wasps for Mons.  Leclerque [[Leclerq]] of Liege, Belgium at ivy flowers where the stream from Rathfarnham Castle joins the Dodder & below the weir below Orwell Bridge. These comprised the following:-

Vespa vulgaris  3♂︎♂︎, 15☿☿.
Also took 1♂︎ & 1☿ Vespa germanica in back garden at 14 Clareville Road, before lunch.


38.

21st Oct. 1953.

After rain in early morning, a very fine day, very mild, windless, & much hot sun.  In afternoon walked from Rathfarnham to Crumlin Cross, via Butterfield Avenue, Templeogue Bridge, & Willington House, passing the Arbutus in Butterfield Avenue on which today were 2♀︎♀︎ of Bombus lucorum & a Honey Bee.  Collected wasps en route from Rathfarnham to Willington House, all at Ivy blossom, & all V. vulgaris:  2♂︎♂︎ & 19☿☿, the latter varying greatly in size.


27th-28th Oct. '53.

Very fine days with mainly hot sun & blue sky, wind variable almost nil, after a very severe gale with heavy rain on evening of 26th.

Collected a dozen Vespa vulgaris ☿☿ off ivy by the Dodder below Orwell Bridge on 27th; 1 ☿ germanica & 8 ♂︎♂︎ of vulgaris in back garden on 28th, 2 P.M.; & 4 ☿☿ between Templeogue Bridge & Firhouse (1 ☿ on the Tallaght road & 3 ☿☿ between the footbridge & pub at Firhouse.  Walked from Rathfarnham to Templeogue Bridge on way to egg-farm & passed the Arbutus about 3 P.M. in bright sun, when two Bombus Bees (1 ♀︎ lucorum & 1 ♀︎ terrestris) seen at its flowers, in Butterfield Avenue.  The name of the house in whose garden this Arbutus grows is "Greenroyd"! The Petasites fragrans near Mr. Cosgrave's with one flower spike just opening on 28th.