30 [February, 



easily liave checked Stainton's identification, since confirmed by both 

 Barrett and myself. 



The imago of splendidella has, on certain occasions, been found in 

 very unexpected places, where Conifers, are absent, and the most 

 striking instance known to me of this phenomenon is that related by 

 Barrett in Eut. Mo. Mag., ser. 2, ii, 220-221 (1891). The causes of 

 its appearance in such unlikely spots have yet to be explained, nor can 

 I offer any satisfactory explanation of why the larvae that feed in the 

 resinous swellings on Scotch pine are full-fed in spring or early 

 summer, while those inhabiting spruce fir cones are full-fed in autumn, 

 though they do not pupate until the following spring. But, on the 

 other hand, the idea of there being two closely-allied species, with 

 different life-histories, confused under a single name seems as imtenable 

 in this case as in that of abietella, for no difference has been detected 

 between the imagines resulting from the larvse that show such dissimilar 

 habits. In this connection it is worthy of mention that J), renicu- 

 lella, Grote, an American species, showing great similarity to abietella, 

 is by no means consistent in its larval habits, and although the bulk 

 of the moths appear about midsummer, the advanced guard emerges in 

 the previous autumn. Ragonot says (op. cit., p. 200), "According to 

 Packard, the larva is usually found in the young cones of fir {Abies 

 nigra and alba). It penetrates into the cones, making transverse or 

 circular galleries, detaching some of the scales. . . . The larva makes 

 the resin run by its workings, and attacks equally the shoots and the 

 temiinal branches, and eats the leaves. One finds it abundantly 

 towards the end of August, and the first moths emerge at the end of 

 October, but most of the larvae spin in the mass of frass an oval, loose, 

 thin yet firm, silken cocoon at the end of October, to hibernate in ; it 

 is not known whether the larva pupates before the winter (but it is 

 probable)." Although these habits are curious and of great interest 

 or comparison, they do not furnish the anomalies presented by 

 abietella and splendidella of some of the larvae becoming full-fed in 

 autumn, while others do not reach maturity until the spring or early 

 summer, and, moreover, feed up in an entirely different manner. 



It is much hoped that the above notes may lead to further 

 careful study of abietella and splendidella. 



Norden, Corfe Castle : 



Becetnber, 1910. 



