32
The Macro-Lepidoptera of the
woods, but hardly to a sufficient extent to produce real birch-
feeding species. At Danbury, especially towards Little
Baddow, it is common enough, but generally in places that
are not very accessible after dark. Willows may be found in
most parts of the district, but they do not seem to attain to
large dimensions; the sallow is also frequent, and, as a good
deal of the land is low-lying, is often very luxuriant in its
growth. The hedges about here are composed chiefly of
blackthorn, maple, and whitethorn, the first-named being more
abundant than in most districts. Hornbeam is common, as
a shrub, especially in woods; pollards, such as abound in
Epping Forest, are not to be found in this district.
Broom is of very general occurrence, and is particularly
abundant round Danbury. Clematis, which, according to
Gibson's 'Flora of Essex,' occurs abundantly at Maldon, is
in my experience very rare in the district. There is a little
at Danbury, and still less at Hoe Mill; when you get into
the Witham district it is quite common. Near Witham
I have frequently obtained Iodis vernaria and other species
that affect Clematis, but have never met with them in the
district of which I am now treating.
I shall now proceed to give a brief sketch of the Lepidoptera
that occur round Maldon, as observed by myself during a
period of seven years, from 1872 to 1876, and during 1880,
1881, and 1882. The list is probably incomplete to a large
extent, as must necessarily be the case in a district where
there is a paucity of working entomologists. Our Vice-
President, Mr. E. A. Fitch, F.L.S., of Brick House, Maldon,
has kindly sent me a list of the rarer species that he has
observed, chiefly on his own land, and from this I have been
able to add twenty-three species to my list. The other
species, with the exception of Papilio machaon, Vanessa
c-album, and Coremia quadrifasciaria, have all been taken by
myself. The absence of many ordinary species, such as
Amphidasys betularia from the Geometrae, and Dianthaecia
carpophaga from the Nocture, will at once strike those who
study the list. They are very possibly present, but I have
hitherto failed to discover them.