THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



123 



AN ENTOMOLOGICAL RAMBLE AT LINWOOD. 



By JOHN MACKAY. 



Perhaps there is nothing that pleases an entomologist so much as to spend 

 a day collecting in a district which he knew was prolific in rare and curious 

 species, and which he had long desired to visit. When 1 received a warm 

 invitation from a gentlemen, residing in a district peculiar for the number of 

 local forms to be found in its woods, and who was himself an experienced 

 entomologist, I need hardly say that I accepted the kind offer very readily. 

 1 had long wished to visit Linwood, a beautiful place situated some distance 

 from the busy little town of Paisley, but as the woods in the vicinity are 

 strictly preserved, no one need visit them without permission from the pro- 

 prietor, and this, unfortunately, I did not possess. Now, however, an oppor- 

 tunity was afforded me of spending a day in those delightful woods, and I 

 looked forward to that visit with more pleasure than I could readily describe. 



Saturday, 4th July, was a beautiful day, and in every way suitable for an 

 enjoyable ramble in search of insects. On reaching Houston, where my 

 friend resided, I found him ready to start, and an open carriage waiting to 

 drive us to the scene of our operations. The drive was delightful. As we 

 spun along a beautiful view could be had of the surrounding district, which 

 lay bathed in a perfect flood of golden sunshine. The air was musical with 

 the singing of birds, and a gentle hum of unseen insect life was ever in our 

 ears. The country lay spread out like a map, with here and there a paper 

 mill or factory, while some distance off Paisley lay hid in a dense cloud of 

 smoke. The wood was in due time reached, and, with pockets well filled 

 with nested chip boxes, we commenced work. For some time nothing of 

 any importance was taken, except some very local micro specimens, but soon 

 Melanippe subtristata began to appear rather commonly on the pine trunks. 

 A few beautifully fresh specimens of Larentia pectinitaria were next cap- 

 tured, followed soon after by several of Emmelesia alchemillata. The fir 

 trees received a good share of attention, but these produced nothing of any 

 importance. Insects were unusually scarce, which was occasioned no donbt 

 by the excessive heat of the day, making them sluggish and unwilling to fly. 

 We beat the tree trunks as we went along, and by this means some more 

 specimens of pectinitaria were netted, and a few Cabera exanthemaria. As 

 we went along I could not help noticing the remarkable abundance of game 

 in the woods ; hardly a step could be taken without starting from cover a 

 rabbit or a bird. Having now reached the end of the wood, we crossed a field 

 where we found some rare micros, and entered another large wood. Sud- 

 denly, down in the hollow over the hill near by, we heard a tremendous noise, 



