Irish Entomoloiiy. xx 



on the authenticity of the list. I think Mr. Grcpson must 

 have fallen into the error of taking for granted that all the in- 

 sects in Mr. Curzon's boxes were Irish. It is very probable 

 that English larvae and pupae may have accounted for some of 

 the specimens, as was the case with Mr. Curzon's collections 

 both in 1890 and 1891. I should much like to know did Mr. 

 Curzon correct and authenticate the list which Mr. Grcgson 

 compiled before publication ? The capture of Hccatcra chry- 

 sozona, Anchocelis rufijia, A. littira, Hadcna protca, Ephyra 

 Ihiearia and Ennychia cingidata would be interesting if Mr. 

 Curzon would state the localities and number of specimens of 

 these species he took. 



However, as I have a disclaimer written by Mr. Curzon of 

 the capture of another of the species noted, it shows the 

 necessity of greater caution in accepting second-hand evidence. 



I may mention that the DianthcecicB taken by him were not 

 exclusively from Howth, as stated by Mr. Gregson, but partly 

 from Gal way. In addition I would call attention to what 

 I believe to be an erroneous record of Epunda hihdaita in 

 Co. Antrim, contained in a later paper by Mr. Gregson in 

 the same journal of May, 1890. The larvae sent from that 

 locality were of E. nigra, as Mr. Gregson at first rightly sus- 

 pected, and I saw imagines bred from them; but the ova 

 of E. lutulenta sent him subsequently in September were 

 from a wholly different locality, namely Sligo. His de- 

 scription of the larvae of the latter rare moth is, therefore, 

 valuable, and if he can supplement it, which I hope is the 

 case, with a record of the ultimate results, and what varie- 

 ties of the imago he obtained, it would be of much 

 interest. Mr. Curzon told me that, in his experience, the 

 greater proportion of his E. nigra lar\^ae never completed 

 their metamorphosis, dying in numbers from some inex- 

 plicable cause when almost full-fed. In the case of a large 

 number he took again in 189 1, none came to perfection. Was 

 this the case with Mr. Gregson's larvae of E. lidulciita'f In 

 writing the above criticisms, my chief object is to appeal to 

 Irish naturalists to assist in the work of verifying our lepi- 

 dopterological data, by making collections with localities 

 marked on their labels. The condition and setting are of 

 minor importance. If these were from time to time sent to 

 the Science and Art Museum in Dublin, or to myself for 



