58 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



little Fritillaries, and as my companion 

 saw them on the wing for the first time, he 

 was equally delighted. We netted a good 

 series, selecting also' a few rather striking 

 varieties, some very pale and others with 

 the black band joined together in patches, 

 then we turned to the path again for fresh 

 spoil. 



"What is that bright yellow insect?" 

 Maculata ! Another is very quickly seen and 

 followed up. I had not taken them in the 

 county before. A rgiolus once more is flitting 

 by, and soon we come to a large open glade 

 between the woods, adjoining a field entirely 

 surrounded by trees, which latter open space 

 contained numerous patches of furze, with 

 here and there some swampy ground. We 

 were fairly puzzled to know what to take 

 next. Insect life fairly swarmed. The 

 Fritillaries had disappeared, but in their 

 place, Tages and Alveolus, the Dingy and 

 Grizzled Skippers, were flying with an 

 occasional Rhamni. The Euclidias (Glyphica 

 and Mi) next demanded our attention. 

 Phlaas, Megara, Pamphilus, and the Whites 

 abound, while a solitary h'ybernated Atdlanta 

 sails over the high bushes. Maculata were 

 here and there, with a few smaller moths 

 whose names we did not know. Dragon 

 flies were numerous on the moist ground, 

 the flat bodied yellow and lilac (depressa), 

 and the green demoiselle and tiny blue 

 species were chased, but the larger ones 

 required some capturing. We did not 

 neglect the birds ; in the wood was an old 

 saw pit with some ferns and plants growing 

 on the side, these my friend descended to 

 examine, when out flew a Wren whose nest 

 we did not disturb as she was most likely 

 ■sitting hard and the eggs would be of no 

 use. A Chiff-chaff's nest in an adjoining 

 grassy bank did not get off so well, and a 

 Wood Wren in the hedge side was too 

 great a prize to pass by ; White Throat's 

 nests were of no value, and beyond examin- 

 ing the contents for any variety we did not 



interfere with them. Climbing a fir tree to 

 look at an old Magpie's above was the next 

 venture, the young however had flown, and 

 after searching in vain for the Nightingale we 

 once more turned our attention to ento- 

 mology. Egeria is not a common insect 

 with us, but we succeeded in taking five in 

 the wood, they were flitting about in the 

 sunny spots between the tall trees. A 

 solitary hair-streak (Thecla rubi) was a prize, 

 Io and UrticcB also were seen, and to 

 complete the total of sixteen Diurni we got 

 Alsus on the chalk hills in the afternoon. 

 A few moths were beaten out of the bushes, 

 and bidding farewell to Sulham we followed 

 a stream running towards Pangbourne and 

 reached the banks of silvery Father Thames ) 

 where numerous Sedge Warblers were 

 chattering away. It was good collecting all 

 the way home by hills hedges and grassy 

 meadows ; Pallens again was found, also 

 Meticulosa, one Sjjinula in the evening flying 

 round Whitethorn, and more Corylata were 

 boxed. Ferrugata and Candidata were 

 tolerably common ; Adustata and Marginata, 

 only two of each from a damp hedge side, 

 where the Sallows grew in plenty. We 

 obtained a few unknown larvae by beating, 

 especially some from the Oak scrub ; being 

 king Charles' day we of course gathered 

 the proverbial Oak Apples for our button 

 holes. With Tenterata we got a single 

 Taminata, rather a scarcer geometer with 

 us ; Pusaria, ExantTiemaria and Remutata 

 represented the waves ; Humuli, Lupulinus, 

 E. vulgata, and one Betularia completed our 

 day's captures, and made about the most 

 varied day's captures I ever took. The birds 

 we had seen were Magpies, Jays, Swifts, and 

 Wood Pigeons, the Cuckoo and the Nightin- 

 gale were heard at Sulham, and a Ringed 

 Snake was startled lying out in the sunshine. 

 Wood anemonies, Myosotis, Yellow Dead 

 Nettle and other flowers were plentiful : a 

 boy with a Bottle Tits nest was not persuad- 

 ed to part with his capture. The season 



