THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



107 



of running about over horses, holding on to their hairs with its crooked claws. 

 The forest ponies seem to take little or no notice of it, but it is said to drive 

 horses unaccustomed to its presence perfectly frantic. 



In a hole in the high bank of a stream we found a Marsh Tit's nest con- 

 taining young birds. Such a position is, we believe, a somewhat unusual one 

 for a Marsh- tit's nest, but there was no doubt as to the species, for we had an 

 excellent opportunity of observing the parent birds. 



From Bolderwood Green we drove home by Mark Ash and the Christchurch 

 road, visiting the Knight wood oak on the way. This oak is generally con- 

 sidered one of the finest in the forest, its girth at 5ft. from the ground being 

 19ft. 4ins. In spite, however, of its great girth and of its wide spreading 

 branches, it cannot be said to be a good type of tree, for it was evidently pol- 

 larded in its early days and the main trunk is consequently quite short. On 

 the whole we were more struck by the magnificent beech trees growing in 

 Mark Ash, than with the Knightwood oak itself. 



In the evening, we went sugaring among the big trees on the near side of 

 Buckett's Lawn Enclosure. "While we were waiting for darkness to come on 

 we noticed E. palumbaria flying in some numbers. We also heard numerous 

 nightjars and saw one or two woodcocks. At sugar T. batis and G. libatrix 

 were most plentiful. Single specimens of A. lubricipeda and E. trilinearia, 

 and two of G. trilinea were captured ; while amid great excitement a fine 

 C. elpenor was successfully netted; 



The next day (the 8th.) was fine and warm, with a cool and gentle breeze, 

 and we spent nearly the whole of it in Buckett's Lawn Enclosure. Here 

 F. atomaria and E. palumbaria were flying in great profusion, and there were 

 also a few G. rhamni and L. argiolus. Erom the fir trees we beat some nice 

 specimens of F. piniaria and two larvse of T. piniperda, and by dint of great 

 exertions we succeeded in capturing about a dozen imagines of A. euphrosyne 

 and one A, selene. We took a capital series of P. anea in the centre ride, 

 and also netted a few specimens of S. malva, F. maculata, T. lactearia, C. 

 reclusa, and T, extersaria. Diptera were more numerous than they had been 

 the day before, and we took Dioctria atricapilla, Leptis scolopacea, Morellia 

 kortorum, Musca corvina, Empis tcssellata, and Syrphus bifasciatns, as well 

 as a good many other species, which we have not yet named. We found a 

 dead adder in one of the rides, and also a live one, which wriggled off into 

 the bushes on our approach. We afterwards discovered that there were great 

 numbers of these reptiles in the forest, in fact more than was altogether 

 pleasant. We also found in the afternoon two colonies of very large black 

 ants, both of which were apparently engaged in making nests, for they were 

 collecting and arranging heaps of dead leaves and fir spines. So energetically 



