274 [December, 



in roughly parallel bands running through many counties ; a com- 

 plete Lepidoptera-iaaua of each would be intensely interesting ! Other 

 counties, very many of them, are divided into blocks, patches, and 

 strips of various formations ; to separate their insect inhabitants 

 accordingly would be good local work, and would lead on toward the 

 more complete insect-history of each geological formation. There is 

 here work in plenty in two directions for those whose scientific zeal 

 and capacity mounts a little above the mere accumulation of an 

 immense collection by means of purchase and exchange. 



Before concluding I ought to remark that I make no claim to a 

 knowledge of geology, and may have made mistakes. This is an en- 

 tomological paper, purely, and has been drawn up with the help of 

 Sir Roderick Murchison's and other geological maps. Therefore, if I 

 have not in all cases given the accurate name of a local form of some 

 large formation, allowances may safely be made, and. the errors 

 corrected. 



39, Linden Grove, Nunhcad, S.E. : 

 October 15th, 1897- 



HOMALOTA (DILACRA) PRUINOSA, Kkaatz, AN ADDITION TO THE 



BEITISH LIST. 



BT G. C. CHAMPION, F.Z.S. 



Some time ago Mr. E. G. Elliman, of Cheshani, Bucks, sent me 

 some specimens of a very distinct looking Homalota to name, and as I 

 failed to identify the insect at the time, and the species was unknown 

 to Dr. Sharp, I sent an example to M. Fauvel for his opinion. He 

 informs me that it is S. (Dilacra) pruinosa, Kraatz {= Fleischeri, 

 Epp.), and the species must therefore be added to our list. Mr. 

 Elliman's specimens were captured at Chesham during May and the 

 beginning o£ June, running swiftly among grass, &c., in the bright 

 sunshine, on a chalky cart track. M. Fauvel states that the species 

 is known to him from Moravia, Vienna, Nice, Marocco, Algeria, Tunis, 

 and Syria. Kraatz's type was from the Italian coast, and that of 

 Eppelsheim from Austria. I possess an example of it from Point 

 Scropha, Greece (/. J. Walker^. H. pruinosa is nearest allied to H. 

 fallax, Kraatz, and H. luteijyes, Er., these three species being the only 

 European representatives of Thomson's section or genus Dilacra. The 

 present insect may be readily identified b}^ its narrow, parallel shape, 

 dull surface, dense, exceedingly fine punctuation, and fine, close pu- 

 bescence. It is smaller, narrower, and more parallel than II. fallax 



