1876.J 159 



Dorsana appears to be more widely distributed. Mr. Hodgkinson 

 took it at the end of May, 1814, at the Pass of Killiecrankie, and it 

 occurs near Darlington, Scarborough, and Newcastle-ou-Tyne. It is 

 taken among Orohus fuberosus, and for years Messrs. Sang and 

 AVilkiuson found larvae in the pods of that Tetch, which are thus 

 described by Mr. Sang : — " The larva in Orohus pods, which I take to 

 be Dorsana, is as large as that of Orohana, but deep yellow, without 

 the brown tinge, and the usual spots invisible. Head very little darker 

 than the body. It shows no external trace of its presence in the pods, 

 which must be opened to find it. It eats right through the middle of 

 all the seeds, and then goes, I think, to other pods, but still without 

 there being any max'k to show that it has done so. Full-fed generally 

 at the end of July. Spins a thick cocoon among rubbish, or, in con- 

 finement, often within the empty sj^lit pods of the vetch." 



It is only in this last season that this larva has been reared. 

 A very fine $ dorsana emerged on June 17th from larvae in pods of 

 Orohus tuberosus, sent by Mr. Wilkinson in the previous summer. 



Mr. Sang has found larvae precisely similar in pods of yellow 

 vetch (^Lathyrus pratensis?), and probably these also will belong to 

 dorsana ; but it is difficult to pronounce with certainty, since larvae 

 precisely like those of Orobana, found in pods of Genista tinctoria, 

 produced Catoptria ulicetana. 



As Wilkinson confused the two species, or rather described and 

 figured Orobana under the name of dorsana, it may be well to point 

 out the distinguishing characters. Dorsana is blackish-brown ; fore- 

 wings narrow, pointed, with oblique hind margin ; costal streaks 

 indistinct ; dorsal blotch elbowed, and uniformly narrow. Orobana is 

 olive-brown ; fore-wings broader than in dorsana, not pointed ; hind 

 margin rounded ; costal streaks white and very distinct ; dorsal 

 blotch broad, curved, and clubbed. 



Eupoecilia hybridella, Hiib. (carduana, Z.). 



This species was reared by the late Thomas Wilkinson of Scar- 

 borough from the seed-heads of common cow-thistle {Sonchus 

 oleraceus). He gave me no description of the larva, but wrote: 

 " These larvae are very hard to keep in confinement until they make 

 their cocoons. They usually change to pupa in May. I know of no 

 larvae that feed up so rapidly as they do." From this, it is evident 

 that they remain as larvae in the cocoons for nine or ten months. 

 I have seen reared specimens, which are undoubtedly hybridella. 



Pembroke : \bth November, 1876. 



