148 Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



tella, Cham., is a large and conspicuous white moth, found within a 

 few miles of the place where these specimens were taken, and found 

 only upon the yucca, but always resting on the green leaf Ijlades? 

 never in the white flowers. 



Coleophora argentella, Cham., and Coleophora histrigella, Cham., 

 are large, showy, silvery-white moths, found in the wooded region near 

 where these specimens were taken, and at the same time. Why are 

 thev not naturally attracted to the white flowers ? So as to Coleo- 

 phora hasistrigella, C. artemesicolella, O. sparsipulvella and Buccula- 

 trix staintonella, all found in that same region, all white moths, but 

 none of them ever found on white flowers. The fact is, the Tineina do 

 not frequent flowers. In the course of ten years of active collecting, 

 and of observations on this family, I have been frequently impressed 

 with this fact; and as to the great majority of species, I have been led 

 to doubt gi-eatly whether the}' feed at all in the imago state. The few 

 species that do frequent flowers, so far from seeking flowers of their 

 own color, exhibit a marked contrast with the color of the flowers on 

 which they are found. Coleophora. sparsijyulvella above mentioned, is 

 found occasionally on the Krown flower heads of Helianthus. Gly- 

 phipteryx montiselUt., which is bronzy-gray, mottled, with white and 

 bright metallic tints, also feeds on the flowers of Helianthus. In 

 the Mississippi valle}^ the purplish-bronze Adela bella is found on the 

 white flowers of Celastrus scandens; the purplish-bronze Butalis flavi- 

 frontella,* B. mctutella, a.nd Coleophora corruscipennella, are found 

 on the white flowers of asters. Out of more than eight hundred sjyecies 

 of Tineina already known in this country^ these just named are the 

 only species that have ever been found on flowers of aiiy color. Pro- 

 nuba yiiccasella is the onlj^ white moth that has been found in this 

 countr}^ on a ivhite flower, unless Mr. Kiley is right in referring the 

 specimens found by me to Hyponomeuta. The only other white moth 

 found in this country on flowers is Coleophora sparsipulvella^ above 

 mentioned, and that is found, not on a white flower, but on the brown 

 flower head of Helianthus. In every other instance, the moth is of a 

 purplish-bronze color, contrasting strongly- with the white flower. It 

 is the dark moths that are attracted to the wliite flowers, so far as 

 there is any natural attraction in the case. I have mentioned Anesy- 

 chia decern guttella, a European species. It is sometimes found in 

 England on the flowers, and sometimes on the \ea\es of Lithospermum. 

 The moth is whiteish, marked with black. I do not know the color of 

 the flowers of the Lithospermum. It makes no diff"erence what their 

 color may be; the insect does not frequent them because of their color, 



* Since this was written, I have also taken this species on flowers oi white clover. 



