> 1 R. CLAUDE MORLEY ON THE INSECTS OF THE BRECK. 579 
X. 
THE INSECTS OF THE BRECK. 
By Claude Morley, F.E.S., &c. 
Read 25 th February, 1908. 
The Breck district of north-west Suffolk and the adjacent 
part of Norfolk has long been famous for its peculiar insect 
fauna ; but the term is very inappropriate, for there are in 
reality but few species which are confined to it in Britain 
and most even of these have been discovered in similar 
situations upon the Continent. It is not so much the hope 
of turning up insects which are found nowhere else that 
attracts the entomologist to this district, as the unusual 
number of generally rare kinds to be met with within a small 
area ; they are to be found elsewhere, but at long intervals 
and not associated as is here the case. Commoner kinds 
too occur in greater profusion than in most districts, probably 
owing to the dryness of the soil rendering their most deadly 
enemy, mould, comparatively non-existent ; and the mile 
upon mile of rolling heathland is so far from the “ madding 
crowd” that they suffer little from the routed march of 
civilization, as represented by the farmer, and in a less degree 
by the keeper. As far as my memory serves me, there are 
but four Moths and a single Beetle that have any claim to 
be considered “ peculiar ” to the Breck. Foremost of these 
is Dianthecia irregularis, which is widely spread over the 
country between Bury and Mildenhall but has suffered 
somewhat severely from the depredations of lepidopterists 
(now removed) during the last ten years. These used to 
search for the larva? and distribute them throughout the 
•country, to the mutual benefit of their stay-at-home friends 
