1885.] 173 



and on meeting for a cup of cocoa, which B. S. has prepared for us, 

 the boys decide to give it up for the night. Nobody has taken much. 

 B. S. has secured one J^. hrevilinea, and I three ; of other species, 

 Cramhus paludellus is the best, and of this each of the boys has taken 

 one: I was too far inland for it. Leaving them to get an extra 

 allowance of sleep, I went back to my lamp ; nor was I unrewarded, 

 for, by 11 o'clock, the moon had set, and for a quarter of an hour the 

 fog wholly cleared off. During this interval sport was really good : — 

 Nonagria fulva, of course, swarmed, but with it came JSf. hrevilinea 

 five or six, L. straminea, S. venosa (2nd brood), Notodonta ziczac and 

 dromedarius, besides Epuiida viminalis, A. fibrosa^ Hadena thalassina, 

 and the first instalment of that pest in the iens—Iiocfua ruhi. But 

 the fog then returned with redoubled strength, and though I waited 

 till 12.30, it did not clear again. 



Friday, August 1st. Up in good time this morning, but as we 

 have not far to go, we decide to remain at our mooring till the after- 

 noon, that the boys may try for butterflies. But the fates are adverse, 

 and though P. MacJiaon is seen, they cannot catch one. At 2 p.m. 

 we start again, re-ascending the Ant, toward Irstead : our destina- 

 tion for to-night, however, is a promising stretch of fen just opposite 

 Howe Hill, or the " Mountain," which might be described in the guide 

 books as " a lofty precipitous height, crowned by a windmill." In 

 reality, it is a little hill of gravel, jutting into the surrounding marsh 

 of the Ant valley, small in itself, but conspicuous by the level character 

 of the fens for miles around, and commanding a most extensive view. 

 "We turned just into a dike leading into this stretch of fen, and settled 

 down to the important occupation of dinner. 



Having made all ready for the night, we walked down to the 



rei! river, and availed ourselves of the first opportunity for some days of 



a bathe in which all could join, for the Bure is too deep for those who 



cannot swim, and the Eanworth mud is not exactly tempting. As we 



iolfcame back along the dike, Chilo giganfellus, with a few (7. mucronellus 



]^ij \ a,nd phragmiteUus were on the wing, as well as JSFonagria despecta and 



„lit:the universal P. stratiotalis ; but the moon was high and bright, and 



^, there was every sign of a fog. Nor were we disappointed ; the fog 



came on, thick and damp, while overhead not a cloud obscured the 



moon. Anything worse for lamp-work could hardly be, and except a 



pi Chilo or two, and a few of the common Pyrales, nothing came to the 



fojl light. The honey-dewed leaves of the sallows, however, were more 



attractive ; Apamea fibrosa literally swarmed ; A. oculea occurred, and 



a single A. ophiogramma, three or four Leucania straminea, and L. 



