366 Miscellaneous, 



with the terms proper to be used for the purpose, I must bespeak 

 your indulgence if I fail to make myself intelligible. The first I 

 have named Capucina ; the ground of the superior or upper wings 

 dark brown, with a shade of burnt umber, and an elevated white tuft 

 or button in the centre of each wing ; the palpi and head white ; 

 and the corslet and anterior part of the wings as far as the tuft 

 nearly covered with an incrustation of pure white, with two blotches 

 of the same, and several raised snow-white dots towards the extre- 

 mity of the wings; the under wings shining pale brown, not unlike 

 those of some of its congeners. Now as it is usual, I believe, for 

 entomologists to designate new insects by the names of the persons 

 who discover them, you will not be surprised if I have been desirous 

 of following their example. Indeed I consider myself fortunate in 

 possessing a name so appropriate for this beautiful little insect, — 

 P. Capucina, nor does it sound so badly. The second is also a White 

 Button ; the anterior part of the upper wings a bright chestnut, be- 

 sprinkled with a profusion of powdery white dust-like particles, the 

 blending of the two colours producing a beautiful roan ; the under 

 wings are not dissimilar to those of Capucina. I propose to call this in- 

 sect Gumpinana; and although I am not connected with the family of 

 Gumps, the name is not without its charms, and therefore I hope it 

 will not be unacceptable to the public. The third is so nearly allied 

 to ruficostana, which is so well described by Mr. Curtis*, that it is 

 unnecessary to particularize respecting it ; the shape of the wings 

 and the colours throughout are precisely the same, with the addition 

 of a well-formed red tuft or button on each of the upper wings : I 

 have therefore ventured to name it ruficristana. I fear I am tiring 

 you with this tedious account, and therefore will trouble you with 

 only one genus more, and that is Leptogramma. I did not meet with 

 one specimen of scrabrana ; literana I found in great abundance ; 

 squamana equally so, if not more numerous ; irrorana tolerably plen- 

 tiful ; tricolorana plentiful; and fulvomixtana very plentiful. I cap- 

 tured a host of other Lepidoptera, several of which are supposed to 

 be rare, if not new insects. 



Some of the old collectors here are pleased to say that I made a 

 " good hit" during my excursion ; but I must confess that my suc- 

 cess was mainly attributable to the clear directions I received from 

 Mr. Bentley, to whom I am under great obligation for this and many 

 other civilities, and it proves that his favourite locality, from which 

 he so largely enriched his valuable cabinet, continues to deserve the 

 best attention of the practical lepidopterist. 



I remain, yours &c, 



G. Capucina. 



NATIONAL ENCOURAGEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



We have great satisfaction in recording the grant of an annual 

 pension of £300 to Prof. Owen, of the high value of whose talents, 

 laboriously and disinterestedly applied in the service of natural sci- 



* Vide ' British Entomology,' 2nd edition, where all the species are de- 

 scribed. 



