187 

 AN EXCUKSION TO BROCKERDALE. 



By J. Hepworth. 



The members of the Wakefield Naturalists' Society having had under 

 consideration the desirability of having a field day, at length fixed upon 

 Saturday, the 17th September, as most suitable to all parties. 



The day opened very auspiciously, and, with the exception of one 

 rather heavy shower, turned out all that could be desired. 



We left Wakefield Station at eight a.m. After a short but pleasant 

 ride we arrived at Pontefract : we at once struck off for Went Vale, not, 

 however, taking the nearest course, but making a detour in order to meet 

 with certain shells, &c. In passing along on the left of the town, our 

 attention was arrested by the ruins of the castle. The sight of it took 

 our minds back into the long past, vividly recalling many an act of tragic 

 horror of which it has been the too frequent scene. Here perished 

 Richard II. by the hands of Exton and his bloody assistants, — ^Scrcop, 

 Archbishop of York, by the command of Henry IV. ; and Rivers, Grey, 

 and Vaughan, by the cruel treachery of the fratricidal king Richard III. 

 Our thoughts were recalled from the past to the present by the voice of 

 our conchological chief, who directed our attention to a great number of 

 molluscs, which were feeding upon an adjoining, damp, sunny bank. Out 

 flew our collecting cans and boxes, and to work we went in a thoroughly 

 workmanlike manner. Helix aspersa, H. arhustorum, H. nemoralis, (many 

 varieties,) and H. caperata were our principle captures here. By the way 

 H. aspersa, H. arhustorum, and many other molluscs are now retreating to 

 their winter quarters, from which many will never return. We found 

 many large clusters of H. aspersa in crevices of the walls, the mouths of the 

 shells being fast sealed up with a thick coat, or rather coat within coat, of 

 mucus, to protect the inmates from the stormy blasts of approaching 

 winter. 



From thence we walked briskly on, still, however, to use a nautical 

 phrase, " keeping our weather eye open," till we arrived at Shilling Hill 

 Bar. Here, on a triangular plot of ground, at the junction of two roads, 

 we found the grass literally covered with H. caperata. They were all 

 busily feeding. Each step we took we crushed in the pretty little domi- 

 ciles of dozens of these small creatures. After examining these for a short 

 time we proceeded onwards through the little village of Darrington towards 



