THE YOUNG NATUEALIST. 



We went sugaring in the evening in Kushpole Wood, but it turned very 

 cold indeed, and we took nothing, except single specimens of E. lucipara, M, 

 abjecta, T. batis, and A. urtica. We also took, flying at dusk, one specimen 

 of each of the following species : C. taminata, A. subsericata, C. immanata, 

 and T. laotearia. Woodcocks were flying about as usual, but we did not 

 hear many nightjars. 



The following day (the 16th) was cloudy, with a strong west wind blowing, 

 but there were occasional gleams of bright sunshine, and while they lasted 

 it was nice and warm in sheltered places. On this day we purposed to 

 thoroughly work a portion of the oak wood, which lies to the east of the 

 upper part of Matley Bog, and which is some two miles, or rather more, 

 from Lyndhurst. Accordingly we made a start immediately after lunch, so 

 as to get in a good afternoon's work, and finish up the day by sugaring. 



While crossing Matley Bog we took two specimens of L. icarus, and one of 

 L. marginata ; we also boxed four Simpis tessettata, at rest amongst the rushes. 



On entering the oak wood we found that during the gleams of sunshine a 

 good number of insects were on the wing. Volucella pelluceus was flying 

 plentifully in the open glades, and the flowers of some bushes of Rhamnus 

 frangula proved attractive to other species of Diptera. The following, in 

 addition to those already mentioned, were taken in the course of the after- 

 noon : Melanostoma scalaris, Chrysops caccutiens, Statophaga stercoraria, 

 Baccha elongata, and Sciomyza albo-costata. Lepidoptera were not repre- 

 sented by many species, but F. piniaria was common in the neighbourhood 

 of fir trees, and T. laotearia was everywhere plentiful. P. ageria, too, an 

 insect with which we had but a slight previous acquaintance, was fairly num 

 erous, and we took several specimens. Capturing them was, however, by no 

 means easy, in spite of the fact that their flight was not at all swift; and the 

 number of strokes which were required before a specimen was netted, was 

 sometimes quite laughable. The cause of these many misses would seem to 

 be that the speckled black and white of the wings of this species fades off at 

 a short distance into an almost invisible grey. In addition to the species al 

 ready named, we took one L. rubricollis, at rest on a twig in a bush ; one E. 

 trilinearia, on the trunk of a beech tree, and one M. ocellata and one E 

 advenaria on the wing. 



During the intervals when the sun was obscured, we applied ourselves to 

 larva beating, and got a quantity of larvse from oak and beech. None of 

 them, however, were identified except T. cruda (several), C. ridens (three), 

 and E. abbreviata (one), all of which were taken on oak. During the after- 

 noon a large family of long-tailed tits passed us, making their way through 

 the wood. 



