390 



THE YOUNi 



G NATURALIST. 



blind "it is Mr. Gregsdn himself, for in none 

 of my specimens are the hind wings red, but 

 though they vary considerably they are still 

 only different shades of pink. Let Mr. 

 Gregson place a few specimens of fuliginosa 

 and caja side by side and carefully notice 

 the difference in colour, and then let him 

 see if he still considers the hind wings of 

 fuliginosa red. The flower of a red geranium 

 or some vermilion out of the paint-box 

 would do as well as, or better than, caja. 

 I may mention that both Newman and 

 Stainton agree with me in calling the colour 

 pink. — Yours truly, 



SUPPOSITICIUS. 



OLD ENTOMOLOGICAL 

 LOCALITIES, No. 1. 



By S. C. Gregson. 



Ulverston my first collecting ground. 

 In 1825-6 I first began collecting, and had 

 then some glorious collecting grounds, close 

 to school. The Churchyard and Ladies 

 Walk were then open and free to the public, 

 and here I took my first Blues and Coppers, 

 and especially my first beetles. Camhi and 

 especially Blaps abounded under some grave 

 and other stones ; and the Ringlet butterfly, 

 together with the Meadow brown and the 

 Gatekeeper, helped to keep a tailor, and to 

 get me well caned for tearing my clothes, 

 as I followed them over stone walls or 

 hedges. " Gill Bank Woods" was another 

 favoured locality; and " Outrick Wood" 

 the best of all, for it was here the Ringlet, 

 and the * Tortoise-shells, and the High brown 

 had their home ; whilst the Pearl bordered 

 was common to both " Gill banks " and 

 " Outrick." And upon the foot of the 

 " Hoad," a large conical hill close to the 

 town, lo was always to be found, along with 

 Tortoise-shells, and Small coppers, and Small 

 heaths. A few weeks ago I visited this 

 locality, after 57 years absence. I wished 



* Scientific names were then unknown to me. 



to see the grave of my brother, and I found 

 the churchyard, the property of and the 

 playground of the people in my day, a series 

 of cattle pens, railed in every way and 

 the various gates into those queer-shaped 

 sheep pens locked with brass padlocks, and 

 hay being made in one of the larger pens. 

 The various walks between the enclosure, 

 about five feet wide, led only to and from 

 the church door, hence I could not get to 

 see my brother's grave, much less hope to 

 catch a butterfly in this locality. Disap- 

 pointed I passed on to the Ladies' Walk, 

 which used to be an open-raised walk, with 

 stone seats overlooking the sea, along the 

 head of very steep ground where our blues 

 used to disport, and be captured by jumping 

 down and chasing them on this waste land. 

 It is now a close narrow passage, perhaps 

 half a mile long, with a stone wall from 6 

 to 8 feet high, entirely shutting in anybody 

 who is forced to take that road ; nay, so dis- 

 mal is it that I do not suppose any decently 

 bred ghost, from the churchyard adjoining, 

 would ever dare to venture through the 

 Ulverston Ladies' Walk alone; but a very 

 young naturalist might sugar in it at noon, 

 in mistake for dusk. Having passed through, 

 I wrote up at its end " Ghost Alley," and 

 went through a new stile and on to the Hill 

 of Hoad. This was little altered, except that 

 a large monument has been built on its 

 summit ; and from sheep having been pas- 

 tured upon it since it was enclosed, the 

 herbage is much richer than it was when it 

 was common. Looking from the summit 

 of the hill I searched in vain for " Gutrick 

 Wood," not a sign of a tree or shrub for a 

 long distance. Then making for " Gillbank 

 wood, where I had fished in the becks and 

 hunted "wild cats" in the woods, I found 

 no trace of any trees ; the brook runs on 

 for ever ; but this grand old collecting 

 ground is lost for ever so far as appearances 

 go now. — Fletcher Grove, Edge Lane, Liver- 

 pool, 24th Sept., 1882. 



