HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



J 75 



good collecting ground for Lepidoptern, and saw 

 numbers flying about in some open glades and hay 

 fields full of wild flowers, at an altitude of nearly 

 iooo ft., by the side of a river. While one of our 

 party was engaged in taking some photographs, I 

 had a good look round for half an hour ; numerous 

 Fritillaries were on the wing here, but the only 

 specimen I took proved to be A. Aglaia — of the usual 

 English type; Lycccna Alexis and Icarus and C. Pam- 

 phylus again abounded. I saw, though I did not cap- 

 ture, another P. Mara ; my most noteworthy " take," 

 however, was a specimen of Polyommatus Plippolhoc ; 

 this is the true Hippothoe of Linnaeus and Esper, 

 or the Chryseis of Hubner, not the variety of Dispar 

 called by the name ; it is interesting to the English 

 collector as having been formerly taken in this 

 country at Ashdown Forest in Sussex, and also in 

 Epping Forest. My capture here was unfortunately 

 rather a ragged specimen, but this is of frequent 

 occurrence in these wild mountainous districts, where 

 insects soon get knocked about, owing to the often 

 boisterous weather. 



Further on, as we neared the Stalheimsklev, we 

 came into a district of wild moorland with forests of 

 fir, some 1200 ft. above the level of the sea. Here I 

 pulled up once or twice to pursue a pale-looking 

 Geometer which flitted away every now and then 

 across the road, and which turned out to be our 

 familiar Melanippe montanata ; in some places it 

 was very abundant, but it seemed to be the sole 

 representative of its family in these parts, where one 

 would at least have expected to turn up something 

 more unique. Presently, however, a quick dark 

 flying insect of Erebia-like appearance caused me to 

 dismount and give chase hurriedly, and a lucky 

 "catch," in very awkward and rough ground, 

 revealed a most interesting insect in Erebia Ligea ; 

 the specimen taken is of the northern form, with 

 smaller spots and fulvous bands on the forewing 

 than the type ; this again was, to me, a most inter- 

 esting capture, being the first time I had ever taken 

 the species, though I have carefully scrutinized 

 numbers of specimens of its near ally, Blandina, from 

 the slopes of Goat Fell, in our Scotch Isle of Arran, 

 in the hopes of discovering the true Ligea, which was 

 formerly reported to have been captured there by 

 two different collectors j though these insects are 

 yery similar upon the upper surface, there is no mis- 

 taking the white anti-marginal splash on the under 

 side of the hind wing of Ligea. 



Passing through these fir-woods, numbers of a 

 small skip-jack beetle flew about the road, which 

 proved to be none other than the pretty little Corym- 

 betes citpreics of our Welsh mountains ; this was the 

 only Coleopterous insect that I noticed in any pro- 

 fusion ; but driving somewhat rapidly through a 

 country is not a very satisfactory way of collecting, 

 and I am sure that the whole of this district would 

 well repay a thorough investigation. 



Of bird life we saw but little that was remarkable 

 during the journey ; the familiar field-fare was re- 

 cognizable at once, flying mostly in pairs ; it breeds 

 here, of course, only going south to England for the 

 winter. Magpies chattered here and there ami 

 everywhere among the woods : these birds are great 

 favourites with the peasants in the country districts ; 

 they become very tame in the long severe winter, 

 hopping unmolested in and out of the houses, where 

 they are fed and encouraged as visitors of happy 

 omen, much as robins are with us ; and woe be to 

 the stranger who should attempt to do them amy 

 harm. 



The common crow of Norway is what we call 1 the- 

 " hooded crow ; " it was to be seen everywhere about 

 the country, while rooks and carrion crows were 

 conspicuous by their absence. A pretty little wag- 

 tail, the "grey-headed" {Molacilla negledd) I think,, 

 flitted about by the side of every stream. 



We did not have the luck to come across an eagle 

 or anything else specially noteworthy. 



Reaching at length, after five hours' driving, the 

 far-famed Stalheimsklev, the magnificent scenery cf 

 the gorge of the profound and sombre Ncerodal, with 

 its stupendous precipices of over 3000 ft. high on 

 either side, its two huge water-falls, and other at- 

 tractions, quite took away one's attention from any 

 of the smaller objects of interest in nature ; leaving 

 the zigzag road and climbing down beside the 

 Selvefos, almost enveloped in the vaporous spray 

 which drifted about in huge clouds around us, I 

 noticed, however, a most beautiful and rare Saxi- 

 frage growing among the rocks, probably Saxifraga 

 splendcns, which had a tall and most graceful 

 pyramid of snowy white star-like flowers, some 

 twelve to eighteen inches high. I managed to 

 secure a root, which, unfortunately, I could only keep 

 alive for a day or two, and was charmed with its 

 most delightful fragrance, given off chiefly during 

 the evening. 



The huge and awful precipices towering some 

 3000 ft. above our heads as we drove along the 

 bottom of the Noerodal, are chiefly composed of a 

 light grey felspathic gneiss ; primary rocks are the 

 order of the day in Norway — granite, gneiss, quartz, 

 mica, felspars — all to be seen, now, much as when 

 first deposited, and seldom covered by any more 

 recent formation ; truly, for the geologist, this is a 

 country of rare attractions, presenting a series of 

 rocks of most hoar antiquity, and with perhaps few 

 strata later than the Silurian. 



During this_day's journey we had our first glimpse 

 of Norwegian hay-making, a somewhat novel pro- 

 cess ; the coarse rank grass, mixed half and half with 

 thistles and various other miscellaneous plants, 

 which is dignified by the name of hay, is a most 

 valuable commodity in this country, where all com- 

 munication from place to place is carried on by 

 means of ponies in carrioles and stolkjrerres"; the 



