THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



125 



three B. tenebrosa, and two JV. festiva were also boxed. While sugaring we 

 saw several woodcocks. Soon after entering the enclosure we found a spot 

 where there was a regular colony of mice. They were running about in 

 dozens among the dead leaves, squeaking loudly, and appeared to take very 

 little notice of our presence. There were scarcely any moths flying at dusk, 

 and S. pectinitaria, (two) and C. temerata (one or two) were the only species 

 netted. On our way home we saw several glowworms amongst the bracken. 



The next day the (19th) we were due to leave Lyndhurst for Bournemouth, 

 but being determined to make the most of our time, we broke our journey 

 twice between Lyndhurst Road and Bournemouth East. 



"We stopped first at Holmsley, at which station we arrived at 11.45, the 

 morning being bright and sunny, and, for the first time since we had been in the 

 Eorest, really hot. We went at once into Holmsley Enclosure, which lies 

 about a couple of hundred yards from the station. Here were dragon-flies 

 in extraordinary numbers and great variety of colour, size, and form. Some 

 had large dark wings ; others thick, short bodies, banded with black and 

 yellow ; and wings, which for the size of the insects seemed enormously 

 powerful. " Demoiselles/' too, were here in swarms, and also the ordinary 

 black and green, or black and blue species, with possibly many more, if many 

 more there be. A. euphrosyne and R. rhamni were flying plentifully in the 

 sunshine, the firs were full of F. piniaria, there were a few M. montanata 

 about, and L. icarus (one), M. subtristata (one), and E. advenaria (one) were 

 taken. Diptera, too, were plentiful, and several species (amongst others 

 Hippobosca equina) were captured. There were hardly as many Syrphidce on 

 the wing as one might have expected, but several Volucella bombylans were 

 seen, and a nice Tabanus, this last, however, succeeded in evading capture. 

 A few larvse of 0. potatoria were noticed, and various nice species obtained 

 by beating oak and other trees. While we were in the enclosure we flushed 

 two pair of woodcocks. We could find neither nest or young where the first 

 pair rose, but close to the spot where the second pair got up there were 

 several nearly full-fledged young ones running about. On our way back to 

 the station we passed a small piece of marshy ground, in which Poteniilh 

 comarum was growing, as were also the common Menyanihes trifoliata and 

 Orchis latifolia. 



We left Holmsley at 2.26, and at 2.40 arrived at Ringwood Junction, 

 where we made the second break in our journey. Ringwood is outside the 

 Eorest boundary, and from what we saw of the country round, it appeared to be 

 quite civilized, but I believe we were unlucky in the road that we chose. 

 Trees were scarce, the road itself strai *ht, hot and dusty, the hedges small 

 and perched on the top of high banks, and moreover, as if the evils already 



