180 THE entomologist's record. 



OTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



By albert J. HODGES. 



Tempted by the few warm days and nights that set in with the 

 beginning of June, and anxious to inaugurate a season which, as far as 

 I was concerned, had not yet commenced, I made hasty arrangements 

 for a short campaign in Fenland and, accompanied by Mr. Battley, left 

 Liverpool Street on June 6th for Soham, via Ely. Our " Eddystone," 

 which has found previous mention in these pages, was, through the 

 kindness of a friend, carefully packed and consigned from Freshwater 

 to Soham ; a somewhat circuitous journey but one which was safely 

 accomplished, and the first object that met our view upon changing 

 from the main line at Ely was the familiar post and iron framework, 

 invariably arousing the curiosity of porters and railway officials to the 

 highest pitch, the latest sapient suggestion being as to its problematic 

 uses in " land-surveying." 



As is usual when starting on specially hazardous or early season 

 trips, the weather turned cold and the wind " Xorthered " on the very 

 morning of our departure, justifying the enthusiasm — chilling query of 

 a brother of the net, resident in Ely, as to what we had come for, 

 together with dubious suggestions as to the results of our trip. These 

 prognostications found conlirmation from the lips of the local worthies. 

 We heard with dismay that " one gentleman had been down, but he 

 only stoj^ped one night," and the gloom culminated with the assurance 

 that we were in for a regular " North-easter." However, it was too 

 late to turn back, and we hoped for the best and watched, with ghastly 

 interest, the clouds that persistently gathered during the day to dissolve 

 at dusk " like the baseless fabric of a vision." From laborious and 

 persevering observations of the small amount of smoke from cottage 

 chimneys, that had to do duty in our case for weather-vanes, we felt 

 almost qualified to offer our services to the Meteorological Department 

 as prophets, but" fearing our jeremiads might arouse the ire of the 

 agricultural as Avell as the entomological sections of the public, we 

 reserved our opinion. 



The first night was certainly a bad beginning, and calculated to 

 crush any but the elastic spirits of the Hon. Sec. of the City of London 

 Entomological Society, but strong in anticipation, we spent the follow- 

 ing day in perfecting our arrangements for the following night, which 

 proved much more satisfactory, whilst during our subsequent stay we 

 had the usual very occasional suitable evening, which seems the maxi- 

 mum average allotted to the persevering Fen-worker. With our ears 

 deaf to the charms of the sixpenny tickets issued by the " land-owners " 

 of the Fen (or rather by a " minority of two " of them), and strong in 

 the courteous permission of Mr. Isaac Aspland (which I here have 

 great pleasure in acknowledging, as well as that of a well-known 

 lepidopterist, who has recently acquired a freehold j^lot in the heart of 

 the Fen), and safe in the knowledge of the mysteries of " rights of 

 way, &c." we fixed our sheet nightly and made the best of siich weather 

 as we had ; and never can we reproach ourselves upon leaving the field 

 to others, for upon but one solitary occasion was the " Eddystone " 



