164 THic entomologist's riccokd. 



when about half the size oftliat of F. sijitilis. D. pndihnnda passes the 

 winter as a pupa ; D. fascelina, as a small larva, probably in 8rd or 4th 

 skin, spinning a slight cocoon. 0. (jonostiyma hybernates in the larval 

 stage (about 4th skin), taking shelter within a withered leaf, and 

 spinning a pad of silk to rest upon. A few silk threads are also used to 

 keep the leaf from unrolling or opening out flat. 0. antiqua passes 

 the winter as an undeveloped egg. 



Food. — P. monacha, 0. dispar, P. similis, P. chrysorrhoea, 

 D. 2iudihunda, 0. antiqua and 0. gonostigma are pretty general 

 feeders on forest and fruit trees, and also on many bushes and shrubs 

 as well. D. fascelina and L. s al i ci s fimd on sallow and willow, the 

 former will also eat cherry, apple, plum and hazel, the latter also feeds 

 on poplar. L. coeuosa is said to feed on reeds and sedge. 



Distribution of Orgyia. — The British Museum collection contains 

 specimens of the Orgyias from Nova Scotia, California, New Holland, 

 Australia, Borneo, Java, Malacca, Japan, S. Africa and Al^yssinia, 

 while our English species, as previously mentioned, occur throughout 

 Europe, one of them, 0. gonostigma, in most parts of Siberia, and the 

 other, 0. antiqua, in America and Northern Africa. The apterous 

 condition of the I'emale holds good with all the species, clearly pointing 

 to the fact that distribution must have taken place after this character 

 had become firmly established in the primitive stock, otherwise it 

 would not probably be universal, and our National collection would 

 contain specimens from the Oceanic Islands, such as Madagascar, etc. 

 The problem as to how this world-wide distribution has taken place 

 with species in which the female is apterous would seem at first sight 

 to bo almost insoluble. The wandering habits of the full-fed larva 

 hardly seem adequate alone, but the hyberuating habit of the larva of 

 0. gonostigma offers greater facilities within the temperate zone. 

 The leaf in which the larva hybernates, either drops to the ground at 

 the fall of the year, or possibly, resisting the autumn winds, is dislodged 

 by a winter gale ; in either case, the larva might be safely carried 

 for long distances, even across rivers and straits, by this agency. 

 ■ During a discussion at the North London Natural History Society on 

 this subject, Mr. A. U. Battley suggested a similar means of distribu- 

 tion with regard to 0. antiqua, only, in this case, it would be the ova, 

 instead of larva, that would be conveyed by the wind. It is also 

 possible that birds may aid in distribution by utilising the empty 

 cocoon,on which the eggs are laid, to line their nests. These methods 

 of distribution would necessarily be slow, and if the assumption that 

 the a])terous character was developed prior to distril)ution be accepted, 

 it follows that this genus must have existed for an enormous period of 

 time with comparatively little change. 



On the British species of Lithocolletis of the spinicolella group. 



By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S, 

 Just previous to J. B. Hodgkinson's death he sent me some Lcpi- 

 doptera to examine, and to exhilut at a meeting of the Entomological 

 Society of London. I have since been much exercised in the com- 

 parison of a long series of Sang's original LithacoUctis sorhi {E.^l.M., 

 vol. xxii., p]j. 262-263), which I received from him, with s])eci- 

 mens of L. soibi, received from Dr. Corbett, and bred from mines of 



