THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 283 



Wharncliff, and the public are admitted on 

 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, the 

 consequence being that on these days during 

 the summer the grounds are visited by 

 numerous pic-nic parties who go for a day's 

 pleasure ; and I hope, and have no doubt, 

 that few fail in their object. 



We then crossed the park, and after having 

 had a chat with the groom at the other lodge, 

 we set out for our sugaring-ground. In 

 searching out the best part of the wood, we 

 came across several newly-emerged speci- 

 mens of M. margaritata in the most beautiful 

 condition, and so green that I at first took 

 them for Papilionaria. We also found V. 

 cambricaria, and no doubt could have found 

 many more, hut the grass and fern were very 

 wet. 



Having picked out a drive, we begun to 

 lay on the sugar, and did a good long stretch 

 along one of the main drives. By the time 

 we had done the last tree, we found the 

 moths had begun to come in swarms, so we 

 lit our lamps and begun to capture. H. 

 nebulosa swarmed. H. herbida was common, 

 and in the finest condition. 7*. derasa and 

 batis, a few; C. ftuciuosa, one ; N '. C-nigrum, 

 a few. N . piecta, f estiva, augur, T.pronuba, and 

 other common things, made up a perfect 

 swarm upon every patch of sugar. About 

 ten o'clock a pic-nic party came down the 

 drive to go by the last train ; and the enquir- 

 ies from one and another were numerous as 

 to what we were doing, until at last one 

 young lady, rather sharper than the rest, 

 suddenly discovered that we were "catching 

 flies." We worked the sugar well, and as 

 some clock was striking twelve, we had just 

 filled our last box all with picked specimens, 

 so we thought k was then time to set our 

 faces towards home. 



The distance had to be walked, as the last 

 train had gone long before, so we set out 

 through the wood in what we thought a 

 likely direction. We walked some distance 

 without jfinding a proper road, until we came 



to the railway,, we walked along that until 

 we came to a signal box that was lit up, then 

 mounting, we enquired of the signal-man 

 where we could find a road, and he very 

 kindly instructed us. Following the line, 

 one of the party observed a bright spark 

 among the grass, which upon being ap- 

 proached, proved to be a very bright glow- 

 worm. Picking it up and taking out my 

 watch I had no difficulty in seeing the time, 

 which was just twenty minutes to one. A 

 little further and we turned through a stile, 

 went down the wood, and found a bridge 

 across the river. The bridge, however, had 

 high gates upon it, which were locked, so 

 we had to scramble round some iron spikes 

 which stood out on each side, and in a few 

 minutes found ourselves on the highway, 

 and soon came to a mile-stone, indicating 

 18 miles to Huddersfield. We now set to 

 with renewed vigour, sometimes leaving the 

 highway, in order to obtain " short cuts," 

 our main guide being the North star. 



It was never perfectly dark, and moths 

 seemed to be flitting about all night. About 

 two o'clock we met a "boy in blue," who 

 made the usual enquiries as to what we 

 were doing out at that hour. We told him, 

 but I am doubtful if he believed us. By 

 two o'clock the larks were up and had begun 

 to sing. Very soon we heard the lapwing's 

 well-known notes, and before sunrise there 

 was a full chorus of merry voices. The first 

 person we saw astir was a woman coming 

 out of a farm house, so we enquired if we 

 could be suppHed with milk. At first she 

 said not, but after hearing that we had 

 walked so far, she managed to find us a 

 quart; b.ut on asking for bread and butter, 

 we were told that the mowers had 

 eaten them up the day before, so we 

 had to content ourselves with the milk, 

 and then tramped on, arriving at home 

 about half-past .eight on the Sunday morn- 

 ing, well tired, but still well satisfied with 

 the results of pur journey.. 



