93 



" It has already been mentioned that insects were de- 

 cidedly scarce. Unfortunately no coleopterist was of the 

 party, and therefore it is impossible to say what treasures 

 in the way of beetles might have been unearthed, had 

 diligent search been made for them ; but so far as I am 

 aware nothing of any special moment was noted on the 

 move, in that order. Lepidoptera on the other hand was 

 well looked after. The only butterflies seen were a single 

 example of Hesperia sylvan us asleep on a bramble leaf in a 

 lane, where the like of Epinephelc ianira was disturbed 

 from the hedge-row, and another in the wood. Beating was 

 of no avail, the wind and rain had done all that was to be 

 done in that way in a far more business-like way than our 

 beating-sticks could do it, long before we came on the 

 scene. But despite the severity of the elements, the larvae 

 of Euchloe cardamines were found stretched at full length on 

 the seed pods of Sisymbrium alliaria, resembling them so 

 closely, both in form and colour, as to almost evade detec- 

 tion. Such moths as were met with were found chiefly on 

 the tree trunks, more particularly those that afforded good 

 shelter from the breeze. On such we found Hecatera serena, 

 tucked so snugly in a cleft in the bark that it was not 

 without the aid of a twig that it could be hooked out of 

 its retreat ; Acidalia aversata, a banded form ; Larentia viri- 

 daria, Mclanippe montanata, M. albicillata. Bapta temerata, 

 Scoparia ambigualis, S. dubitalis, Tortrix ribeana, etc., were 

 also found in similar situations ; and it may be mentioned 

 that Asthcna blomeri was taken in these woods a few days 

 earlier. Abraxas sylvata (ulmata) was resting in fair num- 

 bers on the leaves of dog's-mercury (Mercurialis perennis) 

 and nettle, looking just like some bird's dropping. This is 

 probably one of the nearest localities to London for the 

 species. 



"But the wet weather that had driven the insects so close 

 into their hiding places had quite the reverse effect upon 

 the Mollusca, of which considerably over a dozen species 

 were met with. In certain portions of the woods Clansilia 

 laminata literally swarmed upon the moistened beech trunks, 

 accompanied by a fair number of Clansilia rugosa and 

 Bidimus obscurns, while among the moss at their roots, 

 Zonites alliarius, Z . cellarius, Z. nitidulus, Z. glaba, and Helix 

 rotundata abounded, and Cyclostoma elegans was found on the 

 chalky earth in the woods. In the lanes Helix cantiana, 

 H. rufescens, H. aspersa, H. nemoralis, H. hortcnsis were met 

 with ; while crawling on the damp ground a very beautiful 



