NOTES ON LIFE-HISTOKIES, LAKV^, ETC. 2o9 



On the food-plant of Sciaphila colquhounana. — I can thoroughly 

 endorse Mr. Gregson's statement (referred to ante., p. 197) that the 

 larva of N'. colqulunmana feeds on " sea-pink." Last year, in the Isle 

 of Man, I devoted some hours to obtaining the larva of this insect, 

 and was told by a friend with me, who has worked the insect for years, 

 to look for a web spun on the cushion of this plant. The larva itself, 

 a black and particularly lively creature, hides amongst the roots, where 

 I am told it usually pupates in a long silken tube. That it does not 

 invariably do so I can state positively, for, on one occasion, on a rock 

 quite devoid of all vegetation with the exception of a few small 

 stunted plants of sea-pink, sea-plantain, and a wiry plant unknown to 

 me, from the cracks in which these plants grew, and from beneath 

 all three indiscriminately, we dug out over six dozen pupae, besides 

 larvffi in all stages of growth. Had these larvse remained undisturbed, 

 in due course their cocoons would have protruded from the sea- 

 plantain and thrift alike, leading to the supposition that they had fed 

 thereon. I do not think that such is the case ; I saw no signs, with the 

 exception of the thrift, of any plant being eaten, and the larvae I took 

 refused to feed except on thrift, and fed up on that. May not Mr. 

 King's finding cases protruding from lichens be on all fours Avith 

 my experience, more particularly if thrift grew where his observations 

 were made ? I would add that the long series I bred were all of the 

 form I understand to be colqii/inunana. — (Colonel) C. E. Partridge, 

 20, Hornsey Rise Gardens, Crouch End, N. Fehruarij ith, 1896. 



[Colonel Partridge has explained that "sea-pink" is thrift. We 

 observe that Mr. Meyrick refers to the larvae of -S'. colquhounana 

 feeding on Silene maritima ( ! ) his want of knowledge of the local names 

 of plants having evidently led him astray. We presume Gregson's 

 original record led Mr. Meyrick to make this statement. — Ed.] . 



URRENT NOTES. 



Mr. Bankes records that Elaclmta cini/illella is included in the 

 British list on the strength of a single specimen (probably now in the 

 York Museum) that Mr. Allis possessed, and taken in the North of 

 England some years previous to 1859. 



Mr. G. C. Dennis, of York, captured several specimens of Halesh 

 (juttatipennis at Pickering on November 9th, 1895, the species being 

 in great numbers. Previous to this only three British specimens 

 were known. 



Simultaneously with our suggestion that the King's Lynn species 

 of Anii/restliia should be called atmorella, Mr. Eustace Bankes 

 described it under the name of A. atmoridla. 



Mr. G. C. Champion points out {E. M. M., February), that two 

 species of beetles, both found in granaries, bakehouses, etc., in London 

 and elsewhere, have hitherto been included in British collection under 

 the name of Palonis [Hypopldoi'us) depres.sus. The specimens pre- 

 viously named thus appear to belong either to P. ratzebiuyl, Wissm., or 

 P. subdfjin'ssus. 



SOCIETIES. 



City of London Entomological and Natural History Society.' — 

 January 7th, 1896. — Exhibits : — Mr. Prout : Continental types of species 



