152 THE entomologist's record. 



decayed wood. Some of the larvEe of the smaller species live in pecu- 

 liarly-shaped cases, which they form from portions of the leaves on 

 which they feed. The great majority of the smaller sjiecies mine 

 between the cuticles of the leaves. These mines are very plainly visible, 

 and their peculiar form is characteristic of the species." This group, 

 with a simple " idae " or family termination, would appear, according 

 to Prof. Fernald, to comprise everything which we in our ignorance 

 used to include in the Tineina, viz : part of Dr. Chapman's Pyraloids in 

 the Obtect.e, and a number of the main gi'oups of iNCOMPLETiE. If this 

 were the ordinary stjde of studies in Elementary Entomology offered to 

 our brothers of the net in American Magazines, we should pitj' them. 

 Why do not their teachers level themselves up to modern ideas first, and 

 then teach afterwards ? We would recommend a careful working out of 

 the classification of the American moths, on the lines of Dr. Chapman's 

 paper. Trans. Ent. Soc. Lowd., 1893, pp. 97-119. We would also suggest 

 that it is high time that some intelligent American entomologist broke 

 away from a classification based on some particular imaginal feature 

 (neuration, palpi, &c.), and attempted something more worthy the name 

 of science. Such a lesson in elementary entomology as this, is some- 

 thing like one on geological science, based only on the Biblical account 

 of the Flood. 



Two specimens of Chrysophamis dispar sold at Stevens' sale-rooms 

 on May 22nd, realised £10. Jn the same collection, seven Pieris dapli- 

 dice with 78 other specimens, produced 3s. ; five Vanessa antiopa with 

 49 others, 6s. ; four Argynnis lathonia with 88 others, 3s. ; whilst four 

 DcilephUa etijihorbiae, six D. galii, one D. h'vornica, and many other 

 Sphingidce produced but 7s. ; a pair of Agrotis snbrosea -produced £1 8s. ; 

 another pair £1 2s. ; and three females of the same species 16s. Lot 

 85, containing four Cleora vidnaria, produced £3, and five Phiholapteryx 

 polygrammata £1 12s. 6d. — On the same day, Lots 418, 419, 420, con- 

 sisting of 15 Callimorjjha hera, " bred from parents captured in South 

 Devon, 1892 ; " DeilepMla gain, " 10, very fine, Eton, March, 1892 ; " 

 Lasiocampa ilicifolia, two, "captured by Mr. A. Edmond, Ascot, 1891-2," 

 were brought to the hammer, but we do not know what they produced. 

 This was followed on May 29th, by Lots 301-306 ; in which were 10 C. 

 hera, "bred from parents captured in South Devon, 1892.;" four L. 

 ilicifolia, " captured by Mr. A. Edmond, Ascot, 1894 ; " six Phihalapteryx 

 conjunctaria, " taken by Mr. A. Edmond in neighbourhood of Windsor, 

 1894." This last is strange reading ; 10 galii at Eton, in March 1892, 

 P. conjunctaria " in neighbourhood of Windsor, 1894" (the jiresent year, 

 mark !). Who is Mr. A. Edmond who captures these insects ? " 



WARIATION. 



Spilosoma lubricipeda vars. eboraci and fasciata. — I would 

 venture to appeal to Mr. Tugwell to publish a description of each of 

 these varieties and so enable those lepidopterists, who have no chance 

 of seeing his specimens, to identify the forms should the}^ ever come 

 across them. If to this Mr. Tugwell would add a diagnosis of the 

 other named forms, he would confer a great boon on entomological 

 students, and as the Becord is par excellence the student's magazine, 



