38 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



of the white larval cases of a small moth. On sending 

 specimens to my friend, Mr. Thurnel, he tells me they are 

 made by the larvae of one of the species of the genus 

 Coleophora, 1 i.e. either C. ccespititiella. C. obtusella, or C. ad- 

 junctella, " but which of these I am not prepared to say ; 

 but on the whole I am not far away in stating that your 

 larvae are probably C. obtusella. I have found it commonly 

 on the Essex coast on J. maritimus, L. But the interest 

 in this is that neither of the last two species have been 

 found farther north than Yorkshire." 



Although there is a great family likeness amongst the 

 members of this big genus, they are interesting from the 

 fact that their larval cases are often exceedingly curious in 

 shape and construction, and they feed on a great variety 

 of plants. Mr. Thurnel names 30 "as a few among 

 them." So Dr. Trail's note introduces a new moth to 

 Scotland. 



There is another interesting Scottish Juncus, J. filifonnis, 

 L. This is recorded as found by the Loch of Loirston, 

 Kincardine, where it was found by Dr. Dickie in 1850. 2 I 

 have specimens gathered by " Covestone Loch, Aug. 10, 

 1850, ex herb., J. Taylor." This is simply another name 

 for the same loch. Dr. Dickie gives the loch as being " two 

 miles from the sea, and 250 feet above its level." I also 

 possess specimens gathered there in August 1885 by Messrs. 

 Fox and Hanbury. 3 



Although this is the only record for Scotland of filiformis, 

 yet it may be expected in other parts of the country, as it 

 is abundant in Denmark and Finland, extends from South 

 Sweden to Nordland in every province, is dispersed over 

 Norway and Finland, occurs also in Iceland, and hybridises 

 with balticus in Skane. It occurs sparingly in Belgium, and 

 is rare in Holland. 



1 The genus contains nearly eighty British species. 



2 "Guide to Aberdeen, Banff, and Kincardine," 167, 1860. 



3 [It is not rare on the damp stony margins of the small loch, which is about 

 270 feet above the sea and barely a mile from it, but it does not appear to 

 extend to pools in the neighbourhood. I find it grows freely in my garden, but 

 does not fruit well there. J. W. H. T.] 



CROYDON, November 1907. 



