WORK DONE AMON(i THE PLUME MOTHS IX 1904. 41 



imagines) on Crejiis rireus, but the Breck workers cannot get it again, 

 and Mr. Norgate did not describe his larvte. It is remarkable that 

 the Dover and Folkestone collectors have never been able to get eggs, 

 larvfe, or pupse of O. jnlosdlar or O. distana, although in some years 

 they have captured the imagines in dozens. Among the continental 

 (Krt/ptili we want <>. Iiieracii in any of its early stages. In fact, we 

 could do with any species except Cappcria lu'terodartijla {tencrii). 



(7) Sti'Hoptilia zoph(i<lact!/liis should lay autumnal eggs on the 

 young rosettes of the seedlings of the season of Kri/t/irai'a centaiiriiiin. 

 Does it ? If so, where do the young larvse pass the winter ? 



(8) Our knowledge of the evolution of the Leioptilids is almost as 

 unsatisfactory as that of the Oxyptilids. At one end are Lciojitilm 

 tephradocti/la and Ovendenia scptiidactijla (Uaiiiiianiis), at the other 

 Adaina nucrodacUjla. These are pretty well known. Between these 

 are Hellinsia osteodacti/lu.s, H. distinctiis, and //. scarod actinia, of which 

 H. oateodacti/liis alone is British. This is considered a common species 

 in many places, yet our request for the insect in its early stages has 

 remained for twelve months almost without result ; Mr. Purdey did 

 get eggs which hatched, but the young larvjB in Mr. Bacot's hands at 

 once disappeared ; so that of this insect we still particularly want 

 living 2 s au*^ eggs, as the first larval stages are the most important 

 items in working out its relationship to its allies. For the other two 

 species we shall have to beg the aid of our continental friends. H. 

 distiuctiix abounds in the (T)iaplialiiiw growing by the roadside, about 50 

 yards below the village of La Grave, in the Dauphiny Alps, and is the 

 only continental locality we know ; we wonder if any lepidopterist 

 will be in the neighbourhood in June or July, 1905, for larvte (the 

 imagines are out in the first week of August), and we know no locality 

 for //. scan id act yla. 



Among the most successful work done last year must be noticed : — 

 (1) The discovery of the foodplant and obtaining eggs and larvaj of 

 Bnclderia paliidiiiii by Mr. ]3ankes. (2) The obtaining of eggs and 

 rearing the larvfe (to hybernating stage) of Pscbiop/iorits hraclujdacttjla 

 by Mr. Sich. (3) The collection of an abundance of the little-known 

 larvte of McrrincUlia tridactijla {tetrad act ijla) (and to a less extent of 

 Wheeleria uircidactijla (haliodncti/la) by Messrs. Jjankes and Ovenden. 

 (4) The discovery of the hybernating stage of oidannatdjihonis lithu- 

 dactijla by Dr. Chapman. (5) The differentiation of the extreme 

 Leioptilids (as represented by Adaina microdacti/la on the one hand, 

 and Lciaptiliis tcp/mtilacti/la on the other), not only into different 

 genera, but possibly into different tribes. (G) The discovery of the 

 hybernating habit of Stomptilia pterodacti/la (fiiscus:) by Dr. Chapman. 

 (7) The differentiation of the Oxyptilids into at least two groups, the 

 smooth group represented by Oxyptibm Iiieracii and the hairy group 

 (Jappcria hetcrodactijla (tcucrii), by Dr. Chapman. (H) The discovery 

 of the hitherto unknown larva of Frcdcricina calodactyla (zcttcrstcdlii) 

 when collecting larvie of Adkinia hijninctidactj/la and Lcioptilus tcpltra- 

 dartijla. A great many other important discoveries have been made, 

 but they possibly bear a little less on the actual forward movement of 

 our working out the biological history of the group than those just 

 noted. We trust that some of our lepidopterists will be able to solve 

 most of the puzzles indicated above, and make as great an increase 

 in our knowledge in 1905 as was made in 1904. 



