THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



259 



a few beetles. Several specimens of 

 the common lizard [Lacerta vivipara) 

 were seen here, but they defied all 

 attempts to capture them ; and under 

 a large stone a fine specimen of the 

 slowworm or blindworm {Anguisf ragi- 

 lis) was seen, and after a good deal of 

 poking about with my friends' sticks I 

 managed to get it into my hand, and 

 it was held up to some of our party 

 who were in advance of us as a " fine 

 larva of the Death's [lead moth/' much 

 to the disgust of some of them who 

 regarded all these " tapeworm things " 

 with superstitious dread. The animal 

 is here before me as I write, and an 

 interesting creature it is. 



We now hurried on to the Derby 

 Arms," where we intended to dine, and 

 while refreshments were being provided 

 Mr. Murray took us out to show us a 

 locality for the larva? of N. mundana, 

 which we found very common in the 

 interior of an old limestone wall, where 

 they evidently conceal themselves dur- 

 ing the day and come out to feed at 

 night on the lichens which grow on 

 the top of the wall. Mr. Murray in- 

 formed us that he visited the same 

 place a day or two previous, in the 

 day-time, after a shower of rain, and 

 found them exposed on the wall in 

 hundreds. An odd specimen of L. 

 salicata was found near the same place 

 (close to the Derby ") ; and on the 

 trunk of a tree, sitting head downwards, 

 a fine fresh specimen of N. crislulalis. 



After refreshing ourselves, we com 

 menced our journey back by the road, 

 calling for an hour or so at the Httle 

 hill-side plantation mentioned above, 

 and while looking about for "some- 

 thing fresh," two of the party sighted 

 a fine specimen of the viper or adder 

 ( Vipera hems) on a piece of rock bask- 

 ing in the sun, and on their approach 

 it made a spring — to get out of the 

 road, I suppose, — but before it got far 

 Mr. Murray's stick came in contact 

 with it and put an end to its wander- 

 ings. It was afterwards duly "bot- 

 tled " and brought home for preserva- 

 tion. Nothing more of particular in- 

 terest was noticed, and after each 

 gathering a bouquet of wild flowers, 

 which consisted chiefly of Columbine 

 [Aquilegia vulgaris) — which here grew 

 in luxuriant abundance, — we began to 

 retrace our steps towards the station, 

 where in due course we landed all 

 safely, tired, but every one well pleased 

 with our day's out into the country, 

 where we had breathed the air " pure 

 and free," a most necessary element to 

 we dwellers in the smoke-begrimed 

 town. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



All communicfttions to bo sent to J. E. Robson, IP, 

 Northgate, Hartlepool; or to S. L. MosLEV Beau- 



mont Park, nuddcrMlield. 



Subscriptions for Vol. III. are now due. 

 Weekly numbers or monthly parts, Cs.; 

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