186 



The NA.TURALI8T. 



whenever we passed, butterfly nets in hand, these youths used to shout 

 after us, " Oh ! it's only a flopper." We were much perplexed as to 

 what could be the meaning of this, until Walter explained that " Old 

 T " used to offer the village lads and lasses one penny for each 

 insect they brought to his house, provided it was of any use to him. 

 He supplied them with pill boxes, and gave directions that they should 

 not injure the specimen. When they brought their captures to his 

 house, he was in the habit of opening the boxes in his parlour, 

 emptying the contents into the room, and with the exclamation " Oh I 

 it's only a flopper," dismissing the children minus their pennies. 

 After the disappointed youngsters had departed, " Old T " was to be 

 seen, net in hand, capturing what he had pronounced " a worthless 

 flopper." The value of insects was then much greater than at present, 

 and it is said " Old T " would have reaped a golden harvest if both 

 he and his wife had been faithful members of a temperance society. 

 Unfortunately they were not so, and very curious stories were in 

 circulation about them. 



On the suggestion of Oliver we spent one day at Ringwood, visiting 

 Parley Heath, the celebrated U. cribnim locality. We had to walk 

 about four miles to our hunting ground ; then, having provided 

 ourselves with small branches of trees, we commenced sweeping the 

 heath and capturing the moths as they rose. There is considerable 

 excitement attending this operation ; sometimes we swept for hours 

 without any success, at other times we captured several specimens in 

 a few minutes. We were quite satisfied with our day's work, returning 

 to Brockenhurst with some twenty or thirty specimens. Parley Heath 

 is almost the only locality in England for E. cridrum, and there is 

 great excitement in securing such a rarity. A. caliginosa is hunted for 

 much in the same way as is cribrum. It frequents one or two rides in 

 one or two woods, which have to be swept in the same way, as, like 

 cribrum, caliginosa is very sluggish in its habits, at any rate in the 

 daytime. We sugared almost every night, but without much success. 

 This we attributed to the inclement weather. 



My second visit to Brockenhurst was in company with my lamented 

 friend Mr. Alfred Owen, from the 15th to 22nd April, 1870. The 

 weather was very fine, and we took the following species: — Rhamni 

 and PolycJiloros, hybernated specimens, the former very plentiful ; 

 Cardami7ies, Slnapis, jEgeria, Argiolus, Rubi, Ridens, Gothica, Instabilis, 

 Populi, Stabilis, Gracilis, Mimosa, Cruda, Lithoriza, Illunaria, Crepus- 

 cularia, Pictaria, Multistrigaria, Irriguata, Lobulata^ Badiata, j^sculariuy 

 Adustata, Darivata, &c. 



