THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



235 



oozing from the sides and dripping 

 down. We next explored a little fur- 

 ther, but as the torches were going 

 out we retraced our steps and soon 

 emerged again in daylight. We found 

 some good crystals of carbonate of 

 lime sticking out from the sides of the 

 cavern which looked very pretty when 

 the light shone on them. About the 

 first thing we heard on emerging was 

 the cry of the cuckoo (Cucuhs canorus) 

 from a tree a short distance away. 

 Plenty of sand martins [Hirundo rip- 

 aria) were also flying about, but we 

 saw no signs of nests anywhere. We 

 sat down to rest ourselves and enjoy 

 the scenery from tiie hill. The coun- 

 try could be seen for miles round; 

 but look which way you might, shafts 

 of pits were always included in the 

 view, dotted about here and there. 

 One or two of the party, as soon as we 

 sat down, commenced to turn over the 

 stones and clumps of grass within 

 reach for shells, &c. We, seeing their 

 success, followed their example, and 

 soon the whole party was scattered 

 about hard at work. The captures 

 here were Cochlicopa luhrica, ClausUia 

 rugosay Helix hisjoida and rolundata in 

 abundance, and a few Zonites nitidus. 

 Two of the party found Achatina aci- 

 cula and Carychium minimuniy a single 

 specimen of each. The former is very 

 rare in the district, so I am told ; only 

 one capture has been recorded for sev- 

 eral years : so it was rather a good 



find. We gradually extended our 

 range into a small valley on the side 

 of the hill, where on several patches of 

 dog's mercury and cow parsley we 

 found abundance of Helix arhustormi, 

 accompanied by a few //. nemoraUs 

 var. hortensis and several of the type. 

 The variety hortensis we think is a 

 distinct species to nemoralis as it is not 

 often we find this and the type to- 

 gether ; and we have also known nemo- 

 ralis occurring in abundance on one 

 side of a bridge for a considerable 

 distance along the road, whilst on the 

 other side only the variety hortensis 

 was to be found. It is also said that 

 the type and the variety will not pair. 

 The following plants were very poorly 

 represented : — We only saw Arum 

 maculatum (cuckoo pint), Agraphis 

 nutans (bluebell hyacinth), and a fad- 

 ing patch of Ficaria ranunculoides 

 (pilewort) on the top of the hill; and 

 T'ussilago farfara (coltsfoot), Lathnm 

 squamaria (toothwort), Glechoma hed" 

 eracea (ground ivy), Lamiim album 

 (white dead nettle), Anthriscus sylves- 

 Iris (cow parsley) in a few other places. 



As the time was getting on, and 

 hunger could not be appeased with 

 limestone blocks, we made our way to 

 the town, and after refreshing our- 

 selves at the coll'ee house, marched oil' 

 towards the railway station to catch 

 ilu; ri'luru train. The weather had 

 been delightful all arternoon, and every 

 one enjoyed himself immensely. 



