THE MICRO-LEPIDOPTEEA 290 



other. So puzzling indeed is this tendency to rnn into varieties 

 that many insects, once considered to belong to separate species, 

 have been reduced to one ; and this has been the case in a number 

 of instances. 



There are so many of these little moths that we cannot even 

 give a representative of each family, but the following outline will 

 serve to show the extensiveness of the group. 



Family 1. Tortrlcidcr, about sixty species. 



,, 2. PentliinidiT, „ twenty „ 



„ 8. Siiilonotido', ,, twelve ,, 



„ 4. Sericorid(P, „ twenty-seven species. 



„ 5. Scia2)hilid(e, „ twenty-four ,, 



„ C. GrajiholithidcF, about one hundred and fift}' species. 



„ 7. Pyraloididce, four species. 



,, 8. Conchylidcc, about fifty species. 



,, U. AphcUidce, three species. 



"We shall now briefly examine a few of the commonest insects of 

 the group. 



Torfrix xylostcana 



This pretty moth is common in most parts, and may often be 

 met with in abundance in wooded localities during Julj'. It belongs 

 to the family Tortricida-. 



Its fore wings are ochreous brown. A very dark 

 oblique streak, edged with yellow, runs from the 

 inner margin of the base. A reddish patch in the 

 centre of the wing, also edged with yellow, is narrow 

 on the costa, and expands as it approaches the inner „ ^^ . 

 margin. Beyond this are another dark patch on the Xilosteana 

 costa and two reddish-brown blotches on the hind with wings 

 margin. closkd. 



The larva is greenish brown, marked with white 

 spots which have black centres; and it feeds on oak (Qucrcus 

 Rohur), honeysuckle {Lonicera Pcridijmcnnm), and other plants, 

 in the month of May. 



Torfri-c viridiDia 



In Jime and July this pretty but destructive little insect may be 

 seen flying in abundance in almost every oak wood. Its fore wings 

 are one uniform pale green with the exception of a streak of yellow 



