1882.] 243 



alders from which I first obtained S. pedella three or four years ago, 

 have been cut down, and although I have visited annually the alders 

 still standing in the same neighbourhood, my efforts have only been 

 rewarded by the capture of a solitary specimen. At the end of July 

 or more generally during August, a few Noctua umbrosa, Hydroecia 

 micacea, Agrotis tritici, Cosmia affinis, G. diffinis, and less commonly 

 Noctua Daklii and Agrotis saucia are taken at sugar ; but N umbrosa 

 and H. micacea are very partial to the flowers of Arctium lappa 

 (burdock). Epione apiciaria is common, and the same may be said 

 of Lithosia griseola. The straw-coloured variety of L. griseola (L. 

 stramineola) also occurs in the proportion of about one to eight of 

 the normal form. Of the Tortrices which occur in August, Br achy - 

 tcenia semifasciana and Semasia populana both among sallows, are 

 perhaps the only species worth mentioning. In some seasons, at the 

 end of August or during September, Sphinx convolvuli is taken. To 

 my knowledge but one specimen was captured last season, and that 

 was found flying at honey-suckle. A few years ago, five were taken 

 during one September, at honey-suckle, in a garden near Lynn. 

 Noctua glareosa, Agrotis saucia, Xanthia gilvago, and some of the 

 commoner Xanthice visit sugar during the same month, and HaJonota 

 bimaculana is common in some places among birch. 



A glance at the foregoing list and remarks will be sufficient to 

 show that West Norfolk varies considerably in the nature of its soil, 

 and consequently in flora, or in other words, in its physical features. 

 I have alluded more than once to Lepidoptera taken on a tract of land 

 known as the fen-land, or fen-district, and this term is probably the 

 best I can give to describe a strip of land lying on either side of the 

 river Nar. The nearest part of this land, which has been but imper- 

 fectly drained and consequently in some parts is still very wet, would 

 be distant about five or six miles from this town. From an entomo- 

 logical point of view I regret that its re-drainage has been under 

 consideration for some time, and what is worse still, it is likely very 

 soon to be an accomplished fact. The soil is black and peaty, very 

 similar to that which one finds at Wicken and neighbourhood and its 

 flora is also not very dissimilar. Although some plants, such as Cladium 

 mariscus and JPeucedanum palustre, so conspicuous at "Wicken, appear 

 to be absent from this fen-district, nevertheless, many plants so 

 common at Wicken, such as Iris pseudacorus, Ranunculus lingua and. 

 flammula, Thalictru?n flavum, Spircea ulmatia, Lysimachia vulgaris, 

 Ly thrum salicaria, Valeriana officinalis, grow nearly as profusely in 

 this district. Eroin these facts, it is not improbable that many more 



