CiRC. No. 63. 

 The whole of the valley is full of hummocks of Glacial Drift, 

 left as the glaciers receded at the close of the glacial period. The 

 district in the neighbourhood, from the variety of the physical geology, 

 as well as of fossils, is perhaps as interesting to the geologist as any 

 spot of equal area in Yorkshire. 



Botany. 



In ' West Yorkshire,' p. 295, Mr. F. Arnold Lees writes : — For 

 the higher parts of Nidderdale but few rare plants have been recorded. 

 The florula is of the usual gritstone type. Mimulus gidtatiis has 

 naturalised itself by the stream in a lonely situation near Ramsgill, 

 and Primula fari7wsa is reported from Lofthouse. For the rest, the 

 following list includes the more interesting species that grow in the 

 district from the N.E. slope of Great Whernside to Dallowgill and 

 Sigsworth Crags ■.^Trollhis europceus, Poly gala depressa, Orobics tenui- 

 folius, Rosa mollissinia, Rubiis Chamcemorus, Vaccinium vitis-idcea, 

 Trientalis europcea, Pinguicula vulgaris, Empetrum nigrum^ Potamoge- 

 ton ericeionim, Lyco podium selago, Dicranella squa^-rosa, Oligotrichum 

 hercynicum, Hedwigia ciliata, Hypnuin imcinatum, and Neckera crispa. 

 In addition to these Lucas records several species, including Arctos- 

 taphylos iiva-ursi on Little Whernside. 



Entomology. 



No professed entomologist appears ever to have investigated the 

 upper part of the dale, and nothing is known of its entomological 

 fauna beyond the names of such species as Mr. Storey has collected 

 and sent to Leeds. i\mongst them are Vanessa cardui, Satyrus 

 janira, Anthocharis cardamines, Chortobius davus (on the moors), 

 Acherontia atropos (several instances), Hepialus sylvinus, H. velleda, 

 H. hamuli, P(^cilocampa populi, Bombyx rubi (very common on the 

 moors), B. callunce (on the moors), Saturnia carpini (common on 

 Heathfield, Pateley, and Bramham Moors), Metrocampa margaritata, 

 Amphidasis betulaiia, Fidonia atomaria (abundant on the moors), 

 Himera peiuiaria, Cheimatohia boreata, Larentia ccesiata (Pateley 

 Moors and Brimham Rocks), Emmelesia decoloraia, Cidaria populata, 

 Tanagra ch/zrophyllata, Acronyda rumicis, Charceas graminis, Carad- 

 riiia cubicularis, Phlogophora meticulosa, Anarta myrtilli (abundant on 

 the moors), Abrostola urticiz, Plusia iota, and Hypena proboscidalis. 



It would be interesting to confirm the reported occurrence of 

 Chortobius davus on the moors. Other insects whose capture would 

 repay the investigator are the very scarce Gastropacha ilicifolia, which 

 once occurred on the Dallowgill Moors, part of the Nidderdale water- 

 shed, and Dasypolia templi, which it is surmised from circumstantial 

 evidence has occurred, or may occur, in the Scotgate Ash or other 

 quarries in the neighbourhood of Pateley. 



Conchology. 



The most striking characteristic of the molluscan fauna of Nidder- 

 dale, imperfectly studied as it has been, is the almost total absence 

 from it of freshwater species, the ubiquitous LinmcEa peregra being 

 the only one as yet recorded for the dale. The Nidderdale area is 

 one of rapid and impetuous streams, and hardly offers scope any- 

 where for standing waters of sufficient permanence to attract many 



