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63.

30th April 1954.  Glen of the Downs, Co. WI.

on arrival & at 1:45 started to callect near N. end of the Glen - just as a drizzle commenced!  As sweeping impossible tried beating & during half an hour beat the following insects - nearly all from two Sycamore trees just in leaf:-

Mesoleius? sp.  ♂︎, ant. only 22.
Stenomacrus ventralis  ♀︎, ant. 23, very fresh!
Orthocentrus? sp.  ♂︎, red-banded tergites!  Ant. 29.
Aperileptus sp.  ♂︎, ant. 22.
Cynipid  ♀︎ = 
Beetles:  Coccinellids 2.
Lace-wings  2 spp.
Hemipteron  1.


30.4.54, cont.

As rain heavy by 2.15 drove on to Greystones to see Mrs Palmer & after an hour drove home via Bray, Shankill & Stepaside.  Found garden on return very wet - the first rain for about 3 weeks & badly needed.


1st May 1954.
Continuous rain all day, with NE. wind, cold.

2nd May.
Rain continued night & day:  cold:  snow in places including the higher Wicklow hills.

3rd May.
Rain almost continuous, but one dry spell in early aft.

4th May.
After another wet night, mainly dry & not so cold & in aft. Daisy saw several Bumble Bees (lucorum?) in back garden, one of which was so small she thought to be a worker.


64.

5th May 1954.

Gale from SW & later NW with sunny intervals & skiffs of rain:  much milder, but very fierce gusts at times.  Glass turned up about tea time.


6th to 9th May.

Weather gradually improved, but no warmth!  Drier & somewhat less windy, but wind E:SE. & chilly & strong on 8th & 9th.  Our Swifts arrived on 7th but some reported earlier by Brunker but not screaming so probably only passing through.  As +/- kept indoors earlier in the week with a sick tummy I attempted no collecting till 9th on which afternoon we drove to Golden Hill, near Tinode, Co. WI. & I tried sweeping in & alongside the lane on N. slope but wind very fierce here & little out - see below.

Euphorbia hiberna in front garden in flower on 8th.  Catkins on Salix nigricans (now in full leaf!).  S. arbuscula, S. reticulata & S. myrsinites in back garden - the last three from Scotland.  Stellaria holostea in flower at 900 feet in lane on Golden Hill on 9th.

Swept in lane on N. side of Golden Hill, Co. WI.  3.0 till 4.0 P.M.  Alt. 700-900 feet.

Dacnusa areolaris  about a dozen (♂︎ & ♀︎).
Aphidius sp.  2♂︎♂︎.
Procto. 1 (this alone mounted) = Exallonyx sp. ♂︎
Bombus lucorum  ♀︎ seen

A few Bombus lucorum ♀︎♀︎ & one Vespa vulgaris ♀︎ seen in back garden on 8th & 9th May.