Sept., 1903.1 Kk.vrfott : Nfav American Tineoidea. 147 



tened figure 8 but rounded out instead of indented in the waist and 

 which was made of very small particles of a nearly pure white lichen 

 (Plate IX, P'ig. 20, enlarged) ; this lichen occurring in patches on 

 several species of trees in this sea- and wind-swept district, includ- 

 ing oak, holly and juniper. I lelt very certain I had discovered the 

 habitat of one of our North American species of Adda, as the case 

 very closely resembles the cases of that genus as figured in Stainton's 

 Natural History of the Tineina, Vol. XIII. 



Notwithstanding that an ample supply of the lichen was brought 

 home with it, the larva failed to get beyond the stage in which I found 

 it, although constantly watched until the spring of the following year. 

 When, in 1902 I visited Anglesea again, at nearly the end of June, 

 and began almost immediately on arrival a hunt to secure other cases 

 of my supposed Adela, sp. The trees were there and the patches of 

 lichen were common and for over two hours I scrutinized minutely 

 and as I thought exhaustively, with never a case to reward my search ; 

 almost on the point of giving up the hunt I threw myself down on 

 the soft white sand at the root of a large oak, and from force of habit 

 kept my eyes on the white lichen although it was seemingly barren of 

 insect life ; after a few moments steadily gazing at one spot I fancied 

 I witnessed a slight movement, still closer e.xamination and the secret 

 was out — a full-grown case this time, with the larva busily eating, and 

 occasionally as he browsed, shifting his case a short distance and 

 then securing it again with a few threads of silk. In five minutes on 

 this same patch I had found eight more cases and in an hour or two 

 ten times as many. 



The home of this larva is a very beautiful illustration of natural 

 mimicry, as it is composed of the pabulum of the insect, without 

 change of color and almost without change of form, flattened and 

 with edges pressed tightly to the lichenous bark, it is as nearly invisi- 

 ble as anything in perfectly plain sight can be, and I am afraid had 

 not my first larva taken the notion, at the moment I was looking 

 towards him, to move his house, he would be undiscovered to this 

 day. A fresh supply of food was brought back to the city with the 

 cases, and placed in a very large battery jar with the pieces of bark 

 secured to short thin boards and all stood on end in the jar, to imitate 

 the natural position of the bark ; an occasional sprinkling with a fine 

 hot-house syringe and the cover left off of jar to ensure plenty of fresh 

 air seemed to agree with the larvce as the increasing quantity of dry 



