310 WANDERINGS AND PONDERINGS 



almost equally abundant on the same plant. On the bright 

 blue Echium I have taken Ceratina ccerulea, one of our 

 rarest British bees. On several dwarf umbellate flowers 

 Tiphia femorata abounds. Several species of Cryptocephalus 

 are found on the flowers ; and the bright sun-loving Pyraustce 

 hover over the thyme in great numbers ; that little beauty 

 octo-maculata is not uncommon ; and the gay red and green 

 Zygcena, fly from blossom to blossom of the Centaurea sca- 

 biosa. But I cannot give a list of the entomological treasures 

 of this lovely spot ; the task were too tedious : my object is to 

 show the character of the places which I visit, not to record 

 their every production. Entering the wood, at the farther 

 corner of the garden-field, we come to another excellent insect 

 locality, a pond in winter, a bog in summer. In winter this 

 pond is most productive in Colymbetes. I well recollect, one 

 Easter Monday, when I had wandered here with three compa- 

 nions, the extraordinary luck that we had in fishing that little 

 pond. It strikes me that some reader may object to my apply- 

 ing the term winter to Easter Monday ; that reader will find an 

 answer by going into the woods on that day ; they will reply, 

 it is winter still. On the day in question, we took Colymbetes 

 bimaculatiis,fenestraUs,fuliginosus, guttiger, ater, and oblon^ 

 gus, by hundreds, and about a dozen Grapii, out of this one 

 little pond. In July I have watched for hours over and about 

 the bed of this pond the beautiful vagaries, the elegant air- 

 wanderings of the purple emperor, now alone, now with a 

 companion soaring upwards, in circles and semicircles, till the 

 eye refused its office, and sank to the earth for rest. And 

 here, in August and September, the brilliantly red dragon-fly, 

 Sympetrum rnfo-stigma, chases his dingy bride over the 

 withering rushes. 



The roads in this wood afford the most excellent mothing ; 

 Stauropusfagi, Peridoea serrata, Notodonta carir.elita, being 

 among the rarities taken here. I wandered backwards and 

 forwards for an hour in search of these, but without success, 

 and I did not reach the inn till it was too late to distinguish 

 the night moths as they flew, and the night-jar had ceased his 

 tiresome monotonous burr. I was soon installed in my arm- 

 chair with a variety of substantial before me, the discussion of 

 which occupied but short time. Then I lighted my cigar, and 

 meditated on the past, the present, and the future. I felt 



