NOTES FROM THE NORTH-WEST COUNTIES. 295 



Away I started, and, in climbing up towards the dwelling, I 

 fortunately met a young fellow who turned out to be the farmer's 

 son. With the view of saving time I broached the ashworthii 

 question, and he ultimately guided me to the haunts of this local 

 insect. These were simply beetling limestone cliffs, inaccessible 

 to all but a native. With a challenge to " Come on," he at once 

 began the ascent of one. Thinking he only meant climbing up 

 a yard or two I followed, but, with a discretion commensurate 

 with the weight of years, I soon felt a strong wish to descend, 

 and was thoroughly satisfied at accomplishing it. Higher and 

 higher went my friend, until I cordially wished all ashworthii at 

 the bottom of the sea. I begged him to come down, but he 

 coolly replied that the only safe way was to return by an easier 

 path from the top. I have no wish to dwell upon the next hour 

 or so, but, to my great relief, he reappeared walking coolly 

 towards me on my own level. He had two ashworthii larvas, but 

 — bleeding hands as well ! The caterpillars he had ferreted out 

 from the crevices in the cliff, where, being night-feeders, they 

 secrete themselves by day. The conversation which ensued — all 

 about this rare moth, its collectors, and its dealers — would make 

 a book. By-and-bye my young friend introduced me to an 

 individual who finds a harvest during the season in which the 

 larvae of this beautiful insect feed. From him I obtained ten 

 caterpillars, and at the close of the day I possessed thirteen, 

 only one of which I took personally, — all the others, as the 

 reader will have guessed, being simply cash transactions. I 

 cannot close these remarks without bearing testimony to the 

 accurate description of the insect given by the late Mr. Newman 

 in his ' British Moths.' On one point alone does my experience 

 differ from it, viz., that all my eleven imagos (two larvae died) 

 emerged between June 26th and July 3rd, instead of August ; 

 but this may be accounted for by the fact — explained no doubt 

 by the splendid June — that all insects have been, more or less, 

 unusually early this season. I found my caterpillars very easy 

 to rear, and, as Newman observes, to revel on sallow. 



My record for Wallasey is soon told. I had promised a 

 correspondent some Tceniocampa opima eggs, and accordingly 

 reached the sandhills on May 18th. Two gentlemen from Bolton 

 joined me in a careful search on the dead ragwort stems, but it 

 was evident these had all been examined long before. At last 

 one of my companions discovered a small batch on an overlooked 

 thistle, and he very kindly shared the eggs with me. The only 

 insBcts we saw were Mesotype virgata {lineolata) and Herbula 

 cesipitalis. 



Three times during August did I make a careful examination 

 for Deilephila galii larvae. Like other entomologists who have, 

 this year, sought there for the caterpillars, I did not come across 

 a single trace. 



