SIO THE entomologist's RECORD. 



were going into a region unblessed as regards the presence of tlie pub- 

 lic-house, and I felt convinced that, if I did not store up a tolerable 

 supply of material to work upon, I should feel the pinchings of hunger 

 about 1.30 p.m., and the day's bag would suffer in consequence. What 

 A.'s thoughts were meanwhile — poor pipeless A. — I can only gather from 

 the fact that his first remark, when silence was at last broken, w^as a 

 question as to what I was ex^^ecting to find. A. is young, and I fear 

 that, as youth will, he had been making up his bag beforehand. It is 

 a pleasant habit, and, like other pleasant habits, often unwise. One of 

 the most ordinary instances, besides the partaking of lobster late in the 

 evening, is the jilaying of golf or other games of skill in bed. Every 

 stroke is absolutely correct. We magnanimously forbear to do any- 

 thing exceptionally brilliant, but nothing goes radically Avrong. Hence 

 come disapjDointments when we face the reality next day. So I expect 

 that A., without making the discovery of any absolutely new sj)ecies, 

 had collected, in imagination, a very handsome bag of useful specimens 

 to bring home in the evening. However, the silence was broken, and 

 we chatted along cheerily enough up Blackberry Lane, where the 

 clematis gives forth its treasures in May and June, but where nothing 

 to-day tempted us to linger. Nay, the perfume of the jDigsties rather 

 hastened our steps. Past Oliver's Battery, the home of the Blues, and 

 so down to Hursley Kennels, where the hounds were being mustered 

 for the chase. Here we had an awkward moment's hesitation. Our 

 sporting instincts rose. Why should we not abandon the homely bug 

 and chase the wily fox ? Our day hung in the balance for a moment, 

 but A. remembered that the jDloughs -would be wet, and I remembered 

 that my wind was not so good as it had been ia better days. Also I 

 once headed a fox when following on foot, and can still recall some of 

 the language. So we decided j;ist to watch them off and no more. We 

 had a small pang and feeling of shame as they departed, and wondered 

 what our friends would have said had they marked our choice. But 

 we were getting near to our work, for there are a few ash trees on the 

 roadside, where Hursley church first comes into view nestling in its 

 hollow among the trees. To the first of these we raced, and were soon 

 busy among the scanty moss at the base. A. drew first blood with a 

 cocoon of Bisulcia ligustri, but it was empty, a j'^ear old, and so were 

 two more, which we alternately produced. Then A. took a distinct 

 lead with an obviously new one, glossy as a newly-tarred board, and 

 hard and firm — but how was I to equalise ? The tree was searched all 

 round — No, there was a little moss-covei"ed rootlet running down into 

 the hedge. I scratched my hand, but produced two new cocoons and 

 smiled, as those smile who win a race. Not broadly, so as to hurt the 

 feelings of others, but just a flicker of a smile to show that one is pleased. 

 And so the chase went on, down the hill to Hursley village, haunted 

 by memories of Keble, and I had found but one more to A.'s three, and 

 I believe I detected a glimmer gl a smile on his face then. The King's 

 Head beckoned to us to enter and di-ink the health of the caj^tives, and 

 it was our only chance for the rest of the day, but we were fresh and 

 eager and passed it by. We thought of it Avith some regret a few hours 

 later. And then beyond the village came disaster to me and mirth, 

 chastened mirth, such as a younger man displays in the j^resence of the 

 misfortunes of an elder, on the part of A. For, in surmounting some 

 bai'bed wire with intent to trespass, I impaled the seat of my faithful 



