A Rare Clearwing Moth, Sesia formicaeformis Esp., in Co. LouthAuthor(s): A. W. StelfoxSource: The Irish Naturalists' Journal, Vol. 8, No. 8 (Sep., 1945), p. 308Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25533380 .

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308 The Irish Naturalists' Journal. [Vol. VIII.

it to the water, hi; there was a heavy sea on at the time and the turtle was soon high and dry again. He carried it to the pier and

dropped it into the water <at the mouth of the Bann, thinking it would make its way out to sea but apparently the incoming tide carried

it up the river."

[See l.NJ., vol. VII, 3, pp. 66-70, 1938.] Belfast. J. A. S. STENDALL.

ON THE FINDING OF WASPS' NESTS.

In 1943 I was in Wiltshire and my host's pear trees wrere being

seriously attacked by extraordinary swarms of wasps. The answer, of course, was to find their nests and so exterminate them, but that was easier said than done. In the end, and in desperation, wTe evolved

the following unique method:

Adopting 'the ringing scheme of the British Trust of Ornithology, we came to the conclusion that the best way was to mark a wasp and follow it home. This was done by taking a wasp in a pair of tweezers from a pear or window-pane and attaching a noose of cotton round its waist (if that is the correct description of that part

of its anatomy). Aft ftrst the weight of cotton was rather heavy and the wasp fell to the ground, but the cotton was soon adjusted so that rtihe wasp could be airborne to a height of about five feet. Then the hunt started?at was quite a simple matter to follow it homeland it is

significant ?that no less than ten nests w/ere found by this method. I am glad to say that, in consequence, the pears grew to maturity.

Belfast. W. E. MACVE.

A RARE CLRARWING MOTH, SESIA FOBM1CAEFOBMIS ESP., IN CO. LOUTH.

In Col. Donovan's "

Catalogue "

(1936) the only Irish records for this Clearwing are for GlengarrifT, W. Cork and Kenmare district, S. Kerry. I was therefore surprised to take two specimens amongst

willow and birch scrub on a cut-out hog just E. of Essex Ford, Co.

Louth, on 1st July, 1943, while collecting Paralitica. One was swept off either birch or willow; the .second was seen sunning itself on a birch leaf. Both were taken late in the afternoon when a strong chilly easrt wind was blowing, (though 'the earlier part of <the day had been very hot and sunny. One of my specimens is now in the collection of M. S. Dudley iWestropp, who has confirmed hy identifica tion of the moth.

14 Clareville Road, Dunlin. A. W. STELFOX.

CONVOLVULUS HAWK-MOTH IN BELFAST.

On 13th August, 1945, a female Sphinx convolvuli L., was caught in the yard of a house in N. Belfast, when resting on a pair of stockings

which were hanging on the clothes line. The specimen wTas given to the Belfast Museum by the finder, Mrs. F. M'Keague.

Another female was taken from a wall in Durham Street, Belfast, at 7.30 a.m. on 28th August, 1945, and brought to me by Miss Joan Verrant, daughter of the finder.

Belfast. J. A. S. STENDALL.

THE MILLER, ACBONICTA LEPOBINA, IN CO. TYRONE.

I am glad to he able to report an occurrence of tthis rare moth in the north. In Lt.-Col. C. Donovan's

" Catalogue," one previous

record for Tyrone and two for Fermanagh complete its Ulster history. On 8th August, 194;*, I noticed a caterpillar on an Alder near my

garden hedge. It was ahout half grown and was curled up on the under-surface of a leaf. I took it and it fed up rapidly. On the advice of Mr. T. Greer (to whose credit is the previous Tyrone record), a

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