THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



167 



Of course it was something very good, 

 though I knew it was not galii which I had 

 seen. The discovery of one gave fresh 

 impetus to the search, an\ a" other was 

 soon found, then another and another, until 

 we had about thirty each. " Stainton " 

 was turned up as soon as we got home, and 

 our swans were only geese after all, for 

 they were but Stellatarum. Nevertheless, it 

 was a good find, and they have never been 

 abundant since. That year they positively 

 swarmed. All this good ground is covered 

 now, and we must get further away, 

 massing the plate glass works, a forge, and 

 .vorse than either, extensive rolling mills, 

 .vhere some dozens of furnaces, day and 

 light belch smoke and flame. Yet on the 

 vooden palings that surround these rolling 

 nills, I took the first of the very few P. 

 hrysorrhem, (the Brown Tail) that has 

 >ccurred here. This is also a favourite resting 

 >lace for L. testacea, which may be found 

 t night by the dozen. The larvse feed on 

 .he grass at the bottom, and when they 

 merge they crawl up the palings. Passing 

 his we reach the cemetery, and here we 

 mst go to the edge of the sand bank, 

 ietween the cemetery and the sea is an 

 nclosure for future addition to it, which 

 5 only bounded by wooden palings now, 

 >n which may be obtained a large number 

 f species, particularly when the wind is 

 westerly and strong. It would be tedious 

 d enumerate all that I have taken here. 

 'amiocampa gothica, rubricosa, instabilis, 

 pima, stabalis, gracilis, cruda, and Z . lithoriza 

 a March, 1874, will give an idea of what it 

 ometimes produces, while of scarcer species 

 hat I have obtained on these palings I may 

 ame C. bifida, L. quadra, of which the 

 nly female yet taken, I got here S. revay- 

 na once. E. erosaria, once by my son, the 

 irst specimen taken in the county, Sec. 

 vlany species, such as S. dubitata, C. miata, 

 I. porata, A. aprilina, and others, have never 

 '■ !>een taken except here. The cause of so 

 ;iany different species being obtained is 



t 



1 easily found. The strong winds from west 

 that often prevail, sweep across the valley 

 1 beyond, and insects are blown over the 

 ; banks, and unable to get back again, but 

 : find shelter on these palings. I have seen 

 1 them on a windy night try to fly over the 

 • top, but only to be blown back time after 

 time, until they are content to rest them- 

 J selves. 



So soon as we pass the cemetery, we are on 

 the best ground for NoctiKc. I once took a 

 south country collector up here, and when 1 

 told him this was my usual sugaring ground, 

 he looked round in amazement. "Where are 

 your trees?" said he, and I showed him a 

 light railing, with black patches here and 

 there from frequent sugaring. "Why, it's 

 nothing but sand and shingle," he said. That 

 was true enough, but if it was productive 

 ground, what did its nature matter. Before 

 the docks and railway were made, this was all 

 blown sand hills, the railway embankment is 

 open on the land side ; and on the sea side 

 the ground has been made level by depositing 

 ballast, brought from all parts of the world. 

 The sand banks are covered with Mariam, 

 (Psamma arcnaria) and where it has been long 

 undisturbed, the Springrose (Rosa spinosissinia) 

 the Bloody Geranium, (G. sanguineum) Yellow 

 Bedstraw, (Galium vcrum) Restharrow, (Ononis 

 arviHsis)and other plants have established them- 

 selves. On the ballast all sorts of plants grow, 

 many of them not native to the district, some 

 not British, though these seldom last more than 

 one season, and rarely acquire a permanent 

 place with us. Yarrow, Coltsfoot, and Rag- 

 wort generally manage to choke them out. 

 The slender-leaved Mustard (Sinapis tenni- 

 folia), Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare), and a 

 few others have, however, thoroughly estab- 

 lished themselves, the latter being exceedingly- 

 attractive to moths when in flower, particu- 

 larly to those that fly by day or at dusk. 

 Various species of Silene, which grow freely 

 both on the level top and on the sides of the 

 embankment are equally attractive. 



(To be continued ) 



