NOTES ON THE OCCURRENCE OE LEPLDOPTERA. 27 7 



The same may be said with reference to the existence and main- 

 tenance of a dormant combustion for so long a period. The fire 

 unquestionably originated near the base of Carpenter's Hill, 

 among the oldest portion of the deposit, and close to Mr. New- 

 land's foundry, against the outer wall of which was a furnace 

 for drying moulds, but whether the fire was caused by this fur- 

 nace there is not sufficient evidence to prove. 



Since the commencement of the fire the municipal authorities 

 have made strenuous efforts to extinguish it, or to cut off all 

 connection between the part under combustion and the contigu- 

 ous unaffected areas. The fire being entirely confined to Car- 

 penter's Hill, the Corporation have, in order to separate this hill 

 from Johnson's Hill on the south, cut a ballast trench to the clay 

 the entire length of Hill Street, at a cost of two hundred and 

 thirty-five pounds ; and to prevent it spreading northward, they 

 are now excavating a similar trench along Nile Street and Com- 

 mercial Eoad, to join the end of the Hill Street trench, at a fur- 

 ther cost of four hundred and twenty pounds. 



XVII. — Notes on the Occurrence of Lepidoptera in Northumberland 

 and Durham, in 1875. By William Maling. 



Notwithstanding the unsettled and ungenial weather experi- 

 enced in the North, insects were rather plentiful, especially 

 Noctuas ; the common species of this division appeared in swarms. 

 The warm, damp evenings in summer and autumn were very 

 favourable for " sugaring" ; and many varieties, as well as those 

 of general occurrence, fell into the hands of the collector. It is 

 the general opinion that rainy winters are more destructive to 

 insect life than frosty ones, that intense cold produces little or 

 no effect upon hybernating insects. It will, therefore, be worthy 

 of note, during the coming season, if the recent heavy r ains and 

 floods produce any marked diminution in the numbers of those 

 species which pass the winter underground ; and sho uld the 



