THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



83 



rushes. We however, found some common Hounds' Tongue, Great Mullein, a 

 Spurge, one of the smaller Crane's Bills and a few other plants, the names of 

 which we did not know. The sand in places was perforated with a number 

 of little round holes, in each of which a spider was concealed, evidently wait- 

 ing for any unwary insect, that might fall into the trap. Ants and beetles of 

 various kinds were common, and we captured specimens of the following 

 species of Diptera, as well as a good many others we have not yet been able 

 to identify, Spilog 'aster quadrum, Spilog aster duplicata, Aricia perdita, Calli- 

 phora erythrocepha and Bilophus vulgaris. It was unfortunately a cold and 

 rather dull day, or probably our [captures would have been more numerous. 

 We saw no butterflies or moths all day, and the only larva? we took were six 

 0. Rotatoria, on the rushes and bent grass, three C. caja, on Hounds' Tongue 

 and a few larvse of some Noctua on the sand among the rough grass. We 

 were not successful in rearing these last mentioned larvse, and so never as- 

 certained to what species they belonged. Wheatears were the only birds that 

 were at ail plentiful, but, there were also a few Skylarks. We found a nest, 

 belonging to a pair of these latter birds, under a tuft of rushes, and in the 

 middle of another tuft, a Linnet's nest, each with three eggs. There were 

 quantities of rabbits and we dug up several holes in the vain hope of finding 

 a Wheatear's nest. 



May 6. — We went down in the morning to Northam Burrows, and took a 

 few Diptera flying over the sand and rushes. Whilst we were engaged in 

 capturing them, two large ducks flew over the Burrows and went down to the 

 sea in which we watched them swimming for a few minutes, they looked very 

 black and white as they flew over us, but we were too far off to distinguish 

 their colours at all clearly and could not tell what kind they were. 



May 7. — We went over the hill at the back of Westward Ho, and spent 

 the day collecting in the lanes, larvse of 0. Rotatoria and B. quercus, were 

 fairly common in the hedge banks, and our captures of flies were very num- 

 erous, although the day was cold, it was sunny and warm out of the wind. 

 Most of the Diptera we took were either settled on, or flying over, the flowers 

 of an umbelliferous plant which smelt extremely disagreeable ; this of course 

 being an attraction to them. Smyrnium olusatrum (Common Alexanders) we 

 think the plant was, but we could not be quite sure, as we were not able to 

 bring any home to identify and had no book with us. Whatever the 

 plant may have been, it was very common in the hedges and along the sides 

 of the lanes. The following is a list of the species of Diptera taken, Sarco- 

 phaga vagans, Sarcophaga carnaria, Scatophaga stercoraria, Platycheirm mani- 

 cattts, Syrphus vitripennis, Melanostoma scalaris, BMngia rostrata, Platypterus 

 peltatus, Bilophus vulgaris, Hylemyia strigosa, Hylemyia variata, Hylemyia 



