90 . [September, 



taken since, until I met with it in this distant locality. Then then- was a great 

 treat — the first sight of a living Hyria auroraria, and a more lovely creature one 

 need not wish to see. But the most extraordinary part of the day's woi'k was after 

 the cold wind had fallen ; then, in a part of the fen ankle deep in water, creeping up 

 from the tufts of a small rush, and fluttering among the reeds, was Schaenohius 

 mucfonellus in swarms. There must have been hundreds of them, nearly all males, 

 and their flight lasted from 6 till 8 p.m. Their flight is fluttering and very weak, 

 they never seem to rise above the tops of the reeds, and at the least alarm, tumble 

 headlong into the thick tufts of rushes. At the same time, Chilo phragmifellus was 

 flying commonly in dryer parts of the fen. 



On July 1st, Sericoris concliana made its appearance, and with it the first lovely 

 specimens of S. Douhledatiana (E. M. M., vol. viii, p. 246), but they were rare, and 

 little else was to be found except a specimen or two of Syria auroraria and Lobo- 

 phora sexalata ; and the afternoon being warm and enervating, I was glad to sit 

 down on a convenient tussock of Carex and enjoy the delicious perfume of the Fragrant 

 Orchis [Gymnadenia conopseci) growing around. Then was illustrated the proverbial 

 lack of lazy collectors, for a snowy atom which came lazily flying by, proved to be 

 Opostega auritella. As it grew dusk, Herminia cribralis flew up from the grass, and 

 Collix sparsata, Scotosia vetulata, and Pterophorus microdactylus among the alder 

 bushes, where also Dianthoecia cucuball and other Noctuee were attracted by the 

 flowers of Lychnis jlos-cucuH. 



A fortnight later, Padisca oppiressana was to be found on the trunks of poplars ; 

 Ilyria auroraria showed a strong preference for certain spots where the herbage was 

 half choked with Sphaynam ; Sericoris Doubledayana and concliana weve not scarce, 

 Buccidatrixfrangidella was still out, and I saw (and lost) a specimen of the splendid 

 little Cosmopteryx orichalcea. It was sitting on a grass culm, and skipped from 

 blade to blade through the thickest tufts, but would by no means submit to capture. 

 Long and earnestly I searched, but never saw another. At dusk, the first specimens 

 of Lithosia miiscerda, stramineola and griseola appeared, with Niidaria senex ; and, 

 after dark, a lovely pair of Scotosia tindtdata (rare here), with S. rhamnata and 

 vetulata; Leucania straminea on reed, and Poedisca semifasciuna flying among the 

 alders. 



The next day, the Norwich Naturalists' Society took boats for a row on the 

 broads (expansions of the river which extend into the fen), but Society excursions 

 are not favourable to hard work, and little turned up besides single specimens of 

 Lobophora sexalata and Cidaria sayittata. We saw, however, one of the remaining 

 stations of that rare Norfolk fern, Lastrea cristata, in a place so admirably concealed 

 that, without the assistance of the fen men, it would be next to impossible to find it. 

 The ground near by was covered with Lysimachia nummularia in fullest bloom, the 

 pretty marsh vetch {LatJiyrus palustris) blossomed among the rank herbage, and 

 the lesser reed mace (Typha angustifolia) fringed the shore. 



On Jidy 19th, the second brood of Fhoxopteryx subarcuana began to appear, 

 and Oelechia rufescens, gerronella and ligulella, and Coleopliora vimineteUa were 

 out. Worn specimens of Sericoris Doubledayana were plentifid, with Crambus 

 uliginosellus and selasellus pretty common. All these were driven into hiding by a 

 violent storm of rain between 7 and 8 p.m., but directly it was over, Nonagna des- 

 pecta, 'Eudorea pallida, and Opostega crepusctdella flow in abundance. After rain, 

 ■ however, collecting becomes exceedingly difiicult, as the reed leaves carry so much 

 water that the net requires wringing every few minutes. 



