HA RD WICKE'S SCIENCE- G OS SIP. 



107 



quarters. We saw several hibernated specimens of 

 V. urtica, V. lo, and G. rhamni, during the day, 

 and I took a number of specimens of Hymenoptera 

 and Diptera at Sallow catkins on Hurtwood Common 

 in the morning. The country passed through during 

 this day was fairly wooded after leaving Hurtwood 

 Common, and presented features in every way as 

 satisfactory to a naturalist as that traversed the day 

 before. 



We were up betimes next morning (the 25th), as 

 our road that day lay through the wildest portion of 

 the county, and there were no places; of any con- 

 siderable size at which we could stop the night nearer 

 than Farnham, which was much further to the north 

 than the places we wished to visit. 



Directly we started away from the town my friend 

 secured a hibernated specimen of Vanessa poly chlorosy 

 the only one we saw during our journey. 



If I remember rightly, Godalming was a favourite 

 ornithological resort of the late Mr. Edward New- 

 man, and certainly the country round about it would 

 appear to be well stocked with his feathered friends. 

 In many places, even at this early portion of the 

 year, their incessant songs and chirping were the 

 only sounds to be distinguished. We proceeded 

 along the main Petersfield Road, through Witley 

 Common, past the Hammer Ponds, through Shursley 

 Common, to the huge and peculiar ravine known as 

 the Devil's Punch Bowl, a most romantic spot, round 

 the margin of which the Petersfield Road bends 

 abruptly in dangerous proximity to a precipitous 

 descent, and one shivers to think of the old stage- 

 coach on a dark night careering gallantly along such 

 a dangerous path. The scene from the higher 

 ground, above the Bowl, is majestic in the extreme, 

 and the view is only to be surpassed during our walk 

 by that obtained from the summit of Leith Hill. 

 The place gives one a sense of loneliness, which is 

 not improved by coming suddenly across the stone 

 described by Dickens in his "Nicholas Nickleby," 

 and which so interested Poor Smike when journeying 

 with Nicholas past the rim of the Devil's Punch 

 Bowl on their way to Portsmouth. This stone is 

 known to every pedestrian who has travelled this 

 road, as it stands by the side of the roadway and 

 cannot escape observation. On the side facing the 

 road it bears the following inscription, which may 

 be interesting to some readers who have no doubt 

 heard of the incident referred to at some time or 

 other. 



Erected 



In detestation of a barbarous murder 



Committed here on an unknown sailor 



On Sep. 24th, 1786, 



By Edwd. Lonegon, Michl. Casey and Jas. Marshall, 



who were all taken the same day 



and hung in chains near this place. 



" Whoso sheddeth man's blood by man shall his 



Blood be shed." — Gen. chap. 9, ver. 6. 



See the back of this stone. 



On the back is the following : 



This stone 



was erected 



by order and at 



the cost of 



James Stillwell, Esq., 



of 



Cosford, 



1786. 



Cursed be the man who injureth 

 or removeth this stone. 



the malediction at the end of the inscription 

 appears to have had some little effect, but not- 

 withstanding the dire consequences to be antici- 

 pated therefrom numbers of persons have more 

 or less ornamentally executed their initials on the 

 stone, the inclination to do so apparently being too 

 strong to be overcome. One would have thought 

 that every person who could read and write would 

 have had some respect for a request so forcibly put, 

 but it appears to be otherwise. 



Leaving the Devil's Punch Bowl, we proceeded 

 through Hind-head Common and Frensham Com- 

 mon, on the borders of Hampshire, to Frensham, the 

 chief characteristics of which are total lack of 

 accommodation for travellers, and three large ponds 

 known respectively as Frensham Great Pond, Fren- 

 sham Little Pond, and Abbot's Pond. The only 

 one of these pieces of water which we closely inspected 

 was Frensham Great Pond, the bottom of which 

 appears to be wholly composed of silver sand. The 

 water of this pond is very clear, and the only life we 

 discovered therein was the wheel animalcule Volvox 

 globator. This my friend subsequently discovered 

 in a very lively condition in his brandy-flask, which 

 he had filled with water from the pond in question. 



Long before we arrived at this point, the provisions 

 which we had brought with us had been wholly 

 consumed. We had visited the " Royal Huts Hotel," 

 about half a mile from the Devil's Punch Bowl, with 

 a view to refresh the inner man, and after patiently 

 waiting about twenty minutes, ultimately succeeded 

 in obtaining some) liquid refreshment, our request for 

 a cold collation being responded to in a way which 

 gave us a very shadowy idea as to how long we should 

 have to wait for it. We were eventually forced by 

 lapse of time to countermand our order and proceed 

 on our way by no means rejoicing. Let the weary 

 traveller not rely upon Frensham as a place of 

 refreshment — we did, and were disappointed. After 

 going considerably out of our way to the old village 

 we discovered that although there was a large church 

 and a number of houses there, no inn was at present 

 in existence. We had to retrace our steps, and after 

 proceeding some distance in the direction of Locks 

 Hill at last reached a small inn known as the " Three 

 Mariners," where the only eatables we could obtain 

 were bread, cheese, and butter, to which in a half 

 famished condition we did such ample justice, that the 

 shades of night had fallen before we set out again on 



