SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



203 



The walk from Monmouth to Symond's Yat 

 passes through the most beautiful part of the Wye 

 Valley as well as the richest entomological hunting- 

 grounds. The last half of the walk along the south 

 bank is the best both as regards scenery and 

 insects. From opposite the Seven Sisters Rocks 

 right up to the Yat itself, the railway banks swarm 

 with Argyr.nis adippe ; A. paphia is equally plentiful 

 in the woods ; the wood argus (Pararge egeria) flits 

 in and out of the shady corners, its colouring being 

 more sombre than the variety found in the Riviera 

 The ringlets are particularly abundant, commas 

 are frequent, while the clouded magpie moths 

 {Abraxas ulmata) settle in hundreds on the leaves 

 of the mercury and other plants. The botanist 

 will find the lesser teazle (Dipsacus pilosus) and 

 herb-paris growing in the Lady Park, and in 

 some places the underwood is purple with fox- 

 gloves or willow herb (Epilobium angusli folium). 

 Campanula trachelium is abundant, and fine speci- 

 mens of C. latifolia occur in a lane just above the 

 Yat. The white beam tree (Pyrus aria) is also 

 plentiful on the Yat itself. 



On the opposite bank a field path runs all along 

 the side of the river ; we counted thirty stiles 

 on this path between Monmouth and the Seven 

 Sisters' Rocks, but there were certainly more, as 

 we did not begin to count till we had gone some 

 distance. The path passes in front of a quaint 

 little church at Dixon. By the river side the tall, 

 elegant hemlocks (Conhtm maculaium) have a most 

 graceful appearance ; Lysimaclua vulgaris occurs in 

 several places, while in an old disused quarry, 

 below Great Doward, the botanist may find 

 Geranium sanguineum. The ragwort is here covered 

 with the conspicuous caterpillars of the cinnabar 

 moth [Eucheliajacobea). 



From the top of Symond's Yat it is a pretty 

 walk through the well-kept woods to Stanton. 

 Here we observed two men raising coals from 

 a pit by means of a windlass — a most primitive 

 way of mining. On this path there is a splendid 

 bank of the mountain shieldfern (Nephrodium 

 oreopteris), while N. dilatatum is plentiful in the 

 woods, which in many places are carpeted with 

 bilberries. From Stanton, a walk across open 

 ground brings us to the Buckstone, close to the top 

 of the highest hill in the district, from which may 

 be seen the Malvern Hills on one side, the hills 

 beyond Abergavenny on another, the hills beyond 

 the Bristol Channel on a third, and the numerous 

 bends and windings of the Wye just below. The 

 Buckstone used to be a rocking stone, but on one 

 occasion it was set rocking a little too far and had 

 to be brought back again at considerable expense. 

 Now it is firmly cemented down. From the Buck- 

 stone there is a succession of paths through the 

 woods the whole way down to Monmouth. 

 Thornlea, Trttmpington Road, Cambridge, 



Ever? day sees an advance in the science of 

 Photography, and this is perhaps not to be 

 wondered at, seeing that it is a science of compara- 

 tively recent origin. New appliances are constantly 

 registered which assist the worker in some way 

 or another, either by saving his time or lessening 

 the strain on his patience. Mr. James J. Hicks, 

 of Hatton Garden, has succeeded in doing both in 

 his latest invention. His new patent View-Finder 



View Finder No. 6, with square body and square 

 concave lens. 



for cameras is an exceedingly ingenious and useful 

 instrument, and every photographer who wishes to 

 be up-to-date will require to provide himself with 

 one. It is only a few months since Mr. Hicks 

 produced his circular level, and now he has 

 combined with it the view-finder. Every photo- 

 grapher will at once see that by such a combination 

 the possibility of obtaining better and more accurate 

 results is largely increased. The two illustrations 



View Finder No. S, with square body (length iiy in., 

 depth if in., breadth if in.) and square concave lens. 



here given will enable the reader to get a better 

 idea of the instrument than is possible from a 

 written description. It is made besides in six other 

 patterns, each distinctly different, and it can be 

 easily adjusted to any camera. It is beautifully 

 finished and guaranteed by the maker, and can be 

 had in aluminium at a small cost beyond that of 

 the ordinary metal. 



