THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



59 



was a very prolific one, and in other years 

 some of the species were not so plentiful, I 

 remember at that time the frequent 

 occurrence of the gregarious Lanestris and 

 Neustria larvae, which have since become 

 scarce. The nests of the Whitethroat too 

 were more abundant, I found forty-two in 

 the lanes one Summer's day. These old 

 excursions in Berkshire were very enjoyable, 

 and after the lapse of twelve years I can 

 look back with pleasure on th>_ exploits 

 of that time, and especially remember that 

 pleasant day in Sulham Woods. 



COLLECTING AT GLASGOW 

 ON NEW YEAR'S DAY, 

 1884. 



By John McKay, Laurieston, Glasgow. 



There is no pleasure I love so much, as, 

 on a fine sunny day, to go net in hand, in 

 pursuit of the winged treasures of the 

 woods, the moors, and grassy braes. But 

 when cold and dreary winter covers the 

 earth with its white mantle of snow, and 

 the insects have all disappeared, the net 

 has to be laid aside, and its owner longs 

 impatiently for the quick return of flowery 

 spring. There are some collectors, however, 

 who have not the patience to pass the 

 winter thus idly, and I know several, who, 

 even in the worst of weather, are to be seen 

 almost every night, lamp in hand, searching 

 the tree trunks in the hope of finding some 

 of the winter moths, and if an odd specimen 

 of defoliaria or brumata be found, the 

 fortunate individual rejoices exceedingly. 

 The habit has so grown in them, that life 

 without such pleasure would be almost a 

 burden to them. 



Such a nature is partially mine. To keep 

 myself fully employed, I collect lepidoptera 

 from the time the sallow blooms, till the 

 time Haworthii and fulva are over, or 



perhaps if the season be good, till brumata 

 appears. From that date until the sallows 

 again bloom, I collect coleoptera and land 

 and fresh water shells. And I find that 

 during the winter months, one can collect 

 as many species, as perhaps could be 

 collected during the warmer season ; and 

 that with far much less trouble. In a state 

 of torpidity, beetles can be easily found, 

 which during the summer, frequent localities 

 in which it is difficult to find them ; and 

 the results of the examination of a good 

 rotten lot of timber would perhaps repay 

 the collector better than a whole day's 

 collecting during the summer would do. I 

 have found beetle and shell collecting 

 during the winter months eminently 

 successful, and would like if some of our 

 lepidoptera collectors would try it. They 

 would find that their time would be well 

 spent. 



On New Year's day, along with a young 

 friend, I spent a very pleasant day collecting 

 beetles and shells in the immediate 

 neighbonrhood of Glasgow. We left home 

 about 10 a.m., and after enjoying a sharp 

 and pleasant walk of about four miles, 

 arrived at Possil Marsh, a place situated 

 near Glasgow, and always well worthy of a 

 visit from the coleopterist or conchologist. 

 As I am both, I had every anticipation of 

 having a very successful day's collecting. 



The morning was rather cold, a sharp 

 ice-laden wind blowing, enough in itself to 

 make dredging anything but pleasant. 

 However, we quickly screwed up our nets, 

 and set to work with a will, dredging the 

 parts where the weeds were the most plenti- 

 ful, and where the marshy nature of the edge 

 would permit. Our efforts did not for some 

 time prove successful in netting anything 

 beyond a few water-boatmen, caddis-fly 

 larvae, some common shells and an occasional 

 newt. But as we persevered in the work a 

 few beetles began to appear in our nets, and 

 soon a lively male specimen of Dytiscus 



