A HOLIDAY IN NOKFOLK. 295 



good return, and the extraordinary take of neurica is a thing to 

 remain among the great collecting memories. 



At the end of the cruise my friends left me, and I had a fort- 

 night on the coast without them. A little bit of isolated marsh 

 produced, among other things, Coenobia rufa in abundance, the 

 second brood of Eupisteria obliterata, and some Orohena strami- 

 nalis. On the sandhills the coast Noctuse were not so plentiful 

 as usual, and by day these regions seemed almost devoid of 

 insect-life. At night, however, there were many interesting 

 insects to be seen. Agrotis tritici, chiefly light, bright forms, 

 but with some interesting dark varieties, was most frequent. 

 A. vestigiaUs was also in some numbers, and A. cursoria more 

 rarely. Apamea didyma and Miana bicoloria, which are gene- 

 rally abundant, were in quite small numbers. There were some 

 Leucania littoralis and a few Tapinostola elynii, but this last was 

 in poor condition, and scarcely worth taking. At rest on the 

 marram -grass were several Lithosia complana, and sometimes 

 this species flew to the light. In the same way Aspilates 

 ochrearia (in plenty), Anerastia lotella, Cr ambus genicideiis, and 

 some C. pinellus were found. This last insect, which hardly 

 ever appears in any number, turns up in very unexpected places. 

 I do not remember seeing it on coast sandhills before. 



By far the most interesting insect that I captured on the 

 coast was Crambus alpinellus. I came across it in considerable 

 numbers, nor did I find, as Barrett records, that it was loth to 

 appear during the day. It was the solitary insect that flew 

 before sunset on the part of the coast where I found it. Un- 

 fortunately it deteriorated rapidly in the rough weather pre- 

 vailing. 



It was seldom worth while putting up the sheet. One night, 

 however, which gave more promise than most, there flew to 

 light, together with L. complana, some of the commoner Nocture, 

 Notodonta ziczac, and curiously (as there was no oak for a con- 

 siderable distance), Drepana binaria, once more, of all things, a 

 specimen of Nonagria neurica ! Who would have looked for 

 this on a sandhill ? There were, of course, drained marshes 

 not far away, the grazing-ground of cattle and sheep, and in the 

 ditches and by them a few lines and patches of reed remained, 

 but mere fragments. It is curious that such an obscure insect 

 should have found enough cover to hold its own, and have flown 

 up to light away among the marrams. 



Of Tortrices I beat out a few Sericoris bifasciana and 

 Eupoecilia atricapitana, and from a cluster of pines a number 

 of Retinia, whether sylvestrana or posticana I have not deter- 

 mined ; they were a good deal worn. In either case they are 

 interesting insects for the county and date. 



After the deluge of the 26th, which left the county in such a 

 deplorable plight, little was to be done, though I found Crambus 



