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indicated by several Epinephele hyperaiithes, all in a more or less 

 wasted condition, flitting along the hedges. These woods are so 

 unlike what we are accustomed to in the counties south of the 

 Thames that a brief description of them may be interesting in 

 passing. Their primary object is evidently the production of fine 

 timber, more particularly beech, which is the predominating tree, inter- 

 spersed with oak, wych elm, and cherry, but these latter are in small 

 numbers as compared with the beech ; and here and there a solitary 

 larch or fir. As a rule the trees are bare of branches to a con- 

 siderable height, often twenty or thirty feet from the ground, and as 

 they are planted at some distance apart, the woods have a very light 

 and open appearance. The undergrowth consists chiefly of bramble, 

 dog's-mercury, and such like, and it is only here and there that 

 anything like tall underwood occurs. In these woods Asihena 

 blomeri has been taken in some numbers, while Abraxas sylvaia 

 occurs in abundance in its season, but neither species was met with 

 on this occasion. 



The sun was beginning to droop in the heavens when we entered 

 the woods, casting its rays obliquely under the branches of the tall 

 trees, and directly on to the patches of bramble growing beneath 

 them— a sight to gladden the heart of the butterfly hunter, for if 

 there were any butterflies in the wood they would surely come to 

 such sunny spots for their evening meal. Nor were our m-ost 

 sanguine expectations to be disappointed. Most of the species 

 already noted were again met with, sipping the honey from the few 

 remaining bramble blossoms, and then fluttering away high up into 

 the thick branches of the trees to seek shelter for the night. Now 

 a grand female Argynnis paphia, the only one seen, floated over the 

 thorny bushes, but having the mark of some enterprising bird on 

 her wings, she was allowed to pass on her way to continue the work 

 of perpetuating her species. But what is that dark-looking little 

 butterfly flitting over the bramble patch ? A solitary Thecla w-album 

 was taken on the wing just before we entered the wood, can it be 

 another? Now it has settled, and there is no mistake about it being 

 that species, and there is another, and another, — why, there is no end 

 of them, every bramble patch has some of them on it. And look at 

 this wretched spider's web, there are dozens of their wings in it, as 

 well as those of another species that we have not previously seen, 

 Pararge egeria, but of course we are too late for the first brood. 

 The " hairstreak," too, we find on closer acquaintance has been on 

 the wing for some time, but occasionally a freshly emerged specimen 

 comes along, and looking after them finds plenty of employment for 

 all of us until the shadows begin to fall ; and the place of the butter- 

 flies is taken by myriads of Boiys ruralis [verticalis, Schiff) and 

 Hypena proboscidaiis, with a few Scapula prunalis. 



And we, too, are beginning to think of an evening meal. A start 

 is consequently made in ' quest of a cottage in the wood, where 

 legend says that "teas are provided," but half an hour's search 



