70 * [Augnist, 



Micro- Lepidoptera in Australia. — Our collecting season is now almost closed 

 (although insects are really to be found all the year round in this climate), and it 

 may, therefore, interest some if I record the progress Micro-Lepidooterology has 

 already made in Australia. 



I landed in December, the heat of summer, and have, therefore, only had half a 

 year's collecting ; and as I have been prostrated during the last two months by an 

 attack of low fever, I liad only three months of actual collecting ; but I venture to 

 assert that in the matter of Micro-Lepidoptera Australia stands pre-eminent among 

 the nations of the earth. Other groups of Lepidoptera are, I think, scarcer than in 

 England ; but in favourable localities Micros swarm to a degree which I have never 

 seen equalled, except once on a July evening in the Engadine Yalley. During these 

 three months, from December to March, I collected 450 species (not including 

 Pi/rales), and have recived about 200 otliers from correspondents, 650 in all. In the 

 collections of residents, consisting (as regards Micros) solely of the larger species, I 

 have seen some 500 or 600 more ; and it is a significant fact that in these collections 

 hardly one-tenth of the species, although all taken round Sydney, were identical with 

 mine. I should observe that, the soil being very sterile, the aboriginal bush imme- 

 diately surrounds the city, and the extent of ground to be explored is therefore 

 considerable. 



Mr. G. H. Eaynor, formerly of Cambridge, is established at Parramatta, some 

 16 miles inland, and has proved a most valuable coadjutor, having also furnished me 

 with types of all the species taken during his residence last year at Melbourne ; and 

 having convei-ted to the science Mr. Burkitt and divers of the pupils at tlie King's 

 School, Parramatta. The zeal of Mr. Burkitt furnished us with a pole-lamp, mounting 

 six paraffin burners, with which immense execution was done (on one good night I 

 got nearly thirty new species) ; and I suppose such a sight as our procession to the 

 scene of action was never before seen in Australia: to wit, two boys carrying the lamp 

 on a pole ; two more carrying the tripod of poles on which it was to be hoisted ; a 

 fifth boy with a net ; and our three selves also with nets, formed a spectacle which 

 produced a visible impression on the spectators. Not but what the inhabitants of 

 Parramatta were tolerably familiar with our eccentricities, and would remark without 

 surprise, " Oh, there's Mr. Burkitt up a lamp-post ; any Chilos this evening ?" It 

 being generally known that two species of that genus were among the special objects 

 of our search. 



My collection comprises a fine Schcenolius (both sexes abundantly by wading in 

 the Parramatta river among reed-beds), and the two species of Cliilo above men- 

 tioned; Crambu.i, 11 ; Eromene, 2; Phycidce, 21, nearly all of European genera and 

 not remarkable. The Torfrices number about 50, m.ostly dull and uninteresting in 

 comparison with English species ; a large propoi'tion belong, or are allied, to the 

 typical genus Tortrix. One of the most interesting is a little species remotely allied 

 to Grapholitha, the larva of which mines irregular blotches in the leaves of Smilax 

 glycyphyUa (the plant from which sarsaparilla is procured), thus differing in habit 

 from every known species of the group. The Tineina form the bulk of the collection ; 

 the principal European genera as yet recognised (a considerable number of species 

 being still unexamined) include, Chorentis, 1 ; Simaethis, 1 ; Atychia, 1, nearest to 

 pumila ; Blahophanes, 3 ; Tinea, 4, not including tapetzella, peUionella, andbiselliella, 

 which all abound ; Incxirvaria, 1 ; Nemolois, 2 ; Phitella cruciferarrm, of course in 



