188 [January, 



as a substitute for Heinemann's name Stenoptycha, -wliicli he himself threw down 

 (Schmett. Deutschlancls ii. cler Schweiz., Zweite Abtheil. Band i, Heft ii, Ziinsler, p. 

 209) as having been already employed for a gennBoi rteropltorid a. One peculiarity 

 of the species on which stress is laid both by Zeller and Heinemann, though Hcrrich- 

 Schiiffer makes no mention of it, is a yellowish-brown dorsal spot on the inner edge 

 of the first fascia. On reading Mr. Blackburn's description I felt doubtful whether 

 his insect was truly Zeller's ohlitella, and having expressed a wish to him to see the 

 insect, he kindly brought me the specimen, and I have to-day had an opportunity of 

 leisurely examining it. This dark dorsal blotch is decidedly visible, though not very 

 evident, but readily to be found if looked for. The two pale fasciae have both a 

 dentate or jagged appearance (Herrich-Sehaffer says " fein gezackt "). The central 

 spot, described above as a " conspicuous black spot," also puzzled me, for Herrich- 

 SchafEer says " der Mittelfleck unbestimmt," but Heinemann evidently implies that 

 the insect varies in (he distinctness of this marking — it consists of two spots, the 

 lower one being the more distinct and being that noticed by Mr. Blackburn. Heine- 

 mann says of this central spot " bisweilen fehlt es odor docli der obere Punkt," and 

 hence, if one or both spots are liable to disappear, there is room for considerable 

 variation. 



It will be seen from the above that I have abiindantly confirmed the correctness 

 of Mr. Blackburn's determination of the species, and I need only further add that 

 his specimen is quite as fine as if it had been bred. — H. T. Stai>'ton, Mountsfield, 

 Lewisham : Decemher \\th,lS^S.'] 



On a new Dejjressan'a hitherto confoinided ivifh the atomella of onr calinets. — 

 In September last I received from Mr. Barrett a fine series of a Depressaria bred 

 from Genista tinctoria, which at once attracted my attention ; I had previously a 

 single specimen of unknown origin of the same insect amongst my atomella. 



On referring to what has been written latterly about these insects, I find that 

 Dr. Bossier of Wiesbaden, in his " Schmetterlinge des Herzogthums Nassau," pub- 

 lished in 1866, had, at p. 230, differentiated this Depressaria from that which stands 

 as atomella, and had reserved to this Genista tinctoria-ieeAmg species the name of 

 atomella, giving to what we used to consider atomella, bred from broom, the name 

 oi pulverella. 



Von Heinemann, in his " Schmetterlinge Deutschlands und der Schweiz," Zweite 

 Abthcilung, Band ii. Heft, i, pp. 148, 140, confirms this separation of the two species, 

 but uses the name scopariella for the broom-feeding species, and these are the names 

 retained in Staudinger and Wocke's Catalogue, where atomella is not given as a 

 British species, though now it has fairly established its claim to rank as such. 



Under these two names I shall proceed to speak of them. Atomella, as far as 

 we at present know, feeds only on Genista tinctoria ; scopariella feeds on broom 

 {Spartium scoparium), and, according to Bossier, also on Genista piilosa ; I may 

 mention, that the species which I bred from larvae collected on Calycotome spinosa 

 in the south of France, was scopariella. Atomella is a more gaily-coloured insect 

 than scopariella — the anterior wings have the base and costal portion more yellowish, 

 the other portions (especially towards the inner margin) more or less suffused with 

 rosy. Atomelhi is a trifle shorter in the wing than scopariella, and the anal angle is 

 more rounded, and thus the hind mai-gin does not present so truncate an appearance 



