108 THE YOUNG 



SHERWOOD FOREST. 



By S. L. Mosley. 



Coming back again to the broad drive, we 

 take the next turn to the left, and follow 

 this for about five or six hundred yards, 

 and we come at another very large tree — 

 " Simon Foster." Let us take agood look 

 at the tree, and come back again to the 

 broad drive. Now we have our faces 

 towards the " Major," and having proceeded 

 a few yards, turn up a narrow drive on the 

 opposite side (left hand), and follow that for 

 nearly a mile, until you see a fence and a 

 gate on the right hand side. Turn off and 

 pass through this gate ; if it is blackberry 

 time you may have a good feed of fine ripe 

 fruit. Proceed along the fence side and 

 through another gate, and we are on an ex- 

 tensive heath, studded here and there by 

 large hawthorn bushes, in some of which 

 misletoe may be found growing. Be care- 

 rs i.-,.-, i ^^^y \lns as adders 

 are common here. Chortobivs famphilus 

 ai l Polyovtmit '? tihlv is areboth. abundant 

 on the heath, and b->:h white and very dark 

 varieties of the latter have been taken. 

 Crambus inquinitdlus absolutely swarms, 

 and you will do well to take some, as you 

 will not have the same chance every day. 

 Having satisfied yourself on the heath, lej 

 us make the best of our way back again to 

 the broad drive, and having arrived there, 

 turn our backs to the " Major," and keep on 

 until we arrive at a gate, pass through this 

 gate, and we are in a broad strip of grass 

 land, which extends a long way right and 

 left, with tall holly hedges along each side 

 Just opposite to us in the middle of this 

 strip is a tree called the " centre tree," and 

 we get a fine view of Clipstone School on 

 the left. How often I have sat under this 

 tree reckoning up my day's captures, feed- 

 ing the animal, or contemplating the view 

 before me ; and as the time is getting on we 

 might as well sit down and have a feed. 



NATURAL 1ST. 



This is the boundary line between two large 

 estates — Earl Manvers' and the Duke of 

 Portland's — and when we have rested we go' 

 through the other gate opposite, and we are 

 now in the grounds of the latter. We will? 

 turn on to the right (I think it is the first)] 

 and as soon as we turn the corner we shall 

 see on our left the remains of a large tree! 

 This is called the "butchers' shambles," , 

 and it is said that in the time of Robin . 

 Hood the men of the forest used to steal 

 sheep, kill them, and hang the meat on this! 

 tree, and I believe the crooks on which they 

 were hung remained in the tree up to 1874,! 

 in which year some boys, trying to take I 

 wasps' nest at its root, set fire to the drjl 

 rotten interior, and burnt it down to a merq 

 stump. Having satisfied our curiosity byi 

 examining this old relic, let us take one of 

 the turnings on the bottom side of the maiij 

 drive, and proceed in the direction of the' 

 Clipstone School. We pass many remark- 

 ablv fine trees, and if we keep thrashing the 

 lower branches we shall get many larv?* 01 

 different sorts. We Veer» on in this direq 

 tion until we reach the OHerton and Mans- 

 field turnpike road, turn t® the left, and 

 beat the hedges for the larvae of Diloba 

 cremUocephala, Sehnia illunaria, &c. Pre- 

 sently we see an old oak tree on our right, 

 not far from the road, it is propped up with 

 poles, this is "parliament oak," where 

 Robin Hood and his followers used to mem 

 to talk over their plans. The streams herep 

 are very bright and clear, and I have seen| 

 that beautiful bird, the Kingfisher, in his! 

 full glory. In the streams there are many 

 fine trout, but don't molest them, the people 

 who live hereabout tell me they all belong] 

 either Earl Manvers or the Duke of Port-] 

 land, I did not notice any particular mark 1 

 on any of them to tell " which was whether.' J 

 Well, I suppose the water will belong tc; 

 them too, but I am thirsty, they can't say 

 much, so let us have a drink. Many verv 

 pretty kinds of caddis fly (Phygranida) 



