22 



A Fortnight's Collecting at Dawlish. 



By G. B. Browne. Read January 14//^, 1:904. 



It was after reading the notes of Mr. Turner upon Dawlish, in our 

 "Proceedings " for 1900, that I formed the determination of paying 

 a visit at the first opportunity to that exceedingly pretty and interest- 

 ing part of Devonshire, the more especially as that brilliant insect 

 Callimorpha hera was to be obtained there. I may say at once that, 

 although the dates of my visit were arranged with a reasonable 

 prospect of coming across this species, I did not see a single speci- 

 men of C. hera or hear of one being taken during the time I was 

 there — from July 23rd to August 7th. The weather was very unsettled 

 and wet the first six or seven days, and although the rest of the time 

 was fine with the exception of a few showers, the wind was cold and 

 kept persistently north-west, nearly always blowing so strong in the 

 day as to render collecting and beating very uncomfortable. 



The disappointment in not finding C. hera kept me continually on 

 the move, and every day was spent in exploring the country round in 

 the hope of seeing that insect. Although by so doing I missed 

 visiting some spots of more general interest, I got pretty well 

 acquainted with that most charming feature of Devonshire scenery, 

 the beautiful paths and lanes that He all around, whose banks 

 and hedges teem with objects of interest in every branch of natural 

 history. For variety one could turn to the sea-shore with its cliffs of red 

 sandstone, and that beautiful walk along the top called the Ladies' Mile 

 and, further on, the Warren, a capital collecting ground. For a more 

 extended walk there is the two-mile climb to the top of Haldon, running 

 through woods belonging to the Hoare family, of Fleet Street fame. 

 When you arrive at the top there is a magnificent expanse of moor 

 and heather with scattered birches and pines — a fine hunting ground, 

 I should say, earlier in the season, but insects seemed very scarce on 

 the two occasions I went up there. A few Satryus semele were taken 

 in fair condition, but the weather was cloudy and the wind high, and 

 captures were a work of some difficulty. There are few more 

 charming and exhilarating spots than the top of Haldon with Dawlish 

 lying at your feet. 



" The Monk of Haldon " humorously alludes to Dawlish as 

 follows : 



" Then low at your feet, 

 From this airy retreat, 

 Reaching down where the fresh and salt water meet. 

 The roofs may be seen of an old fashioned street ; 



