8 



The Naturalist. 



of a life so monotonous and yet so varied — so unlike common life — 

 facts in natural history ; above all, the mosquitoes, the flies little and 

 great, the vain attempts to encounter the black flies — a consideration 

 of which might naturally lead to other questions, how it happened, for 

 example, that Beelzebub, the Syrian, god of flies, came to be considered 

 the representative, the personification, of the very Spirit of Evil him- 

 self. For all these, and many other curious matters, I must refer to 

 the Narrative, only adding that there is scarcely a subject in the 

 sciences which treat of rocks, plants, birds, fishes, shells, animals of 

 all kinds, of land or water, which is not touched upon ; and that the 

 productions of the regions of Lake Superior are compared not only 

 with those of Europe of the present day, but with those of the more 

 important recent geological periods. 



(To he continued.) 



WASHBURNDALE : 

 NOTES ON ITS PHYSICAL FEATUEES AND NATUEAL HISTOEY. 



By W. Eagle Clarke, F.L.S., and W. Denison Roebuck, 

 Hon. Secs. of the Yokkshiee Natukalists' Union. 



[In anticipation of the forthcoming meeting of the Y. N. U., in August, to 

 investigate the Washburn Valley, it will be of service to gi\e a summary of 

 what is known of its fauna, with notes on the physical features of the dale, based 

 upon our personal observations and such other materials as are at our command. 

 The valley is, however, so secluded that it is almost unknown to Yorkshire 

 naturalists, and we are not aware of any record of its fauna beyond a list of its 

 Lepidoptera made for us by Lord Walsingham]. 



The valley of the little river Washburn — the most important of the 

 tributaries of the Wharfe — lies between Wharfedale and Nidderdale, 

 and forms part of the ancient Royal Forest of Knaresborough, 



In accordance with the physical structure of Yorkshire generally, 

 and more especially with that of its mountainous western half, the 

 slope of this picturesque little dale is from N.W. to S.E., haying its 

 highest altitude of 1,600 feet near Simon Seat, and its lowest of 160 

 feet at its junction with the Wharfe. In like conformity with the 

 geography of the county at large, we find also that the steepest slopes 

 and the most precipitous descents present themselves on the left or 

 N.E. bank of the river; the gentler inclines and broader slopes on 

 the right bank. So marked is this the case in the present instance, 

 that we find the area drained by the left bank to be but 14 i square 

 miles, as against 221- drained by the right bank. The total drainage 

 area of the river thus amounts to 37 square miles, the waters of 



