158 [July. 



Larval habits of the species of Goniodoma, Z. — In his interesting note on "A 

 gall-nmking Coleophora," Lord Walsingham says {ante p. 59) that " Goniodoma, 

 which can scarcely be separated from Coleophora, mines and pupates in the stem 

 itself, making no case." I feel sure, however, that he will forgive me for pointing 

 out that this account of the larval habits of Goniodoma, except as regards the place 

 of pupation (for one seems justified in assuming that "mines in" also implies 

 *' feeds in "), is hardly in accordance with the recorded observations which are briefly 

 set forth below. I believe there are only three species, all European, recognised as 

 belonging to the genus Goniodoma, viz., auroguttella, F. R., millierella, Rag., and 

 limoniella, Stn. Stainton, in Ent. Mo. Mag., xxi, 60 (1884), preferred to include 

 UmonieUa in Coleophora, but Meyrick, in HB. Br. Lep., 640 (1895), rightly relegates 

 it to Goniodoma. 



1. auroguttella, F. R. Stainton, Ent. Ann., 1874, p. 32, says that this species 



" feeds on seeds of Atriplex, using an empty seed as a case," and Wocke, in 

 Schmet. Deutsch. Tin., 613 (1876), gives a similar account of its habits. Ex- 

 amples of its case may be seen in the Frey and Stainton (continental) collections. 



2. millierella, Rag. Constant, Ent. Mo. Mag., xxi, 235 (1885), tells us that he has 



bred this species from oases found on the flowers of its food-plant, Statice 

 virgata, and that the larvae of all the imagines so reared by him must certainly 

 have pupated in their cases, without having ever entered any stems. The case 

 is composed of a flower calyx. 



3. limoniella, Stn., as recorded in Ent. Mo. Mag., xxi, 60 (1884), uses an empty 



" flower" (». e., flower calyx) of Statice limonium as its case, and feeds on the 

 flowers of this plant, not boring into the stem until it is full-fed. On entering 

 the stem, it closes the hole with silk, and the case, which is, of course, left 

 outside, generally falls off afterwards. 



These observations show that all three species of Goniodoma are case-hearers, 

 and feed outside the stems. Whether millierella, in nature, pupates in its case, or 

 inside the stem, as do its congeners, has, so far as I am aware, not yet been ascer- 

 tained. — Eustace R. Bankes, Norden, Corfe Castle : April 19th, 1900. 



The sugar-cane borer moth. — At the present time quite a library of literature 

 on the sugar-cane borer {Diatrcea saccharalis) exists. The latest effort is a small 

 pamphlet of 21 pages by Mr. H. Maxwell-Lefroy, the newly appointed Entomologist 

 to the Imperial Department of Agriculture for the West Indies, published by the 

 Commissioners on May 1st, 1900, and evidently intended for distribution amongst 

 the planters in the various islands. Of course it is impossible to go into much 

 detail in so limited a space, but Mr. Maxwell-Lefroy has contrived to give a 

 succinct life-history of the moth. The chief remedial measures recommended are 

 searching for and destroying the patches of eggs which are laid on the leaves (taking 

 care to avoid blackened eggs, which contain parasitic Hymenoptera) , and catching 

 the female moths, which are said to live for only two days. The whole life cycle 

 may be completed in 42 days, but usually lasts 50. We are not told how many 

 broods there are in a year, but presumably they are almost continuous. We think 

 this is the author's first production since he entered on his duties, and cordially 

 accord him a few words of encouragement. — Eds. 



