KNTOMdLOGICAr, RAMBLES. 81 



Buckler, Several hatched, and nibbled away at the 

 enchanter's nightshade, a plant that we have both set down 

 as its probable food. 1 suggested besides some of the 

 Hypericums, as I could see no other likely plants where they 

 occur. The young larvae seemed to take well to this change. 

 They lived to a certain age, and then died. This is the 

 result of over one thousand miles pilgrimage by rail and 

 legs. However, the latter are not done yet, and 1 hope to 

 give a better account of Tceniata next July. 



During the month I paid a visit to my tansy bed to see if 

 some larvae of Pterophorus dichrodactylus had settled down 

 to their new quarters. Mr. Sang kindly sent me some for 

 that purpose. Judge of my mortification when I reached the 

 garden to find a herb gatherer had been and cut them all 

 down ; he had given a man in the garden sixpence to do so, 

 whereas I was farming the bed at five shillings per annum. 

 I went after the plants, and found the larvae letting 

 themselves down from the ceiling. As the tansy had got 

 dried up I had then to fall back on my Michaelmas daisy for 

 a supply of Dicrorampha tanacetana ; and among the roses 

 in the same garden I got a nice lot of Spilonota roscecolatia^ 

 the only place I find them down here. Now to Windermere, 

 from the 12th to the 80th, I went about half a dozen times, 

 chiefly to look for Cidaria reticulata ; and one day it never 

 ceased blowing and raining from morning till night, — a sad 

 blank to four of my children ; we could never leave the railway 

 station. Another day it was blowing a furious gale from the 

 north, and I had sent word for a man to come for me with a 

 boat from the other side, near Wray Castle. He had to pull 

 up a long way against the wind to meet me at ray place ; 

 but the next thing was to get back, which we found utterly 

 impossible, and had to go with the wind, and dodge across at 

 a narrow place from island to island. Then we had to beach 

 the boat and leave it; and I had to walk a long journey 

 before getting to my hunting ground ; and as usual the only 

 moths 1 got were two Cidaria prunata. I always take this 

 species when looking for Reticulata, but did not see a single 

 specimen of the latter, only those T bred. In fact, 1 should 

 say it is the most wretched place for moths of any sort. 

 The woods are dense and gloomy, and there are no birds, 

 only an odd jay screeching out now and again. Formerly I 

 used to take Cidaria olivata in abundance ; of Tinea; there 

 are next to none. The best collecting woods are all on the 

 way to Ambleside, close to the station. T heard and saw 



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