IS. -5. 15 



Probable discoveiy of the imago of Helicopntfche in Europe. — In vol. ii of tins 

 Magazine, p. 252 (April, 186(1), Dr. Hagen announced that the imago of a Tri- 

 choptcrous insect, of which tlio larva manufacturetl the form of cases known as 

 Jlelicopsi/c/ie, had been bred in IN'orth America, and gave figures and characters (the 

 spur-formula was en'oneously given as 2, 4, 4, it should have been 2, 2, 4). But no 

 known European insect agi-eed generically with this, although HeUeopxifche cases 

 occur in the South of Europe. Very recently Prof. Costa, of Naples, forwarded to 

 me a few Trichoptera, and among them is what I believe to be Melicopsyche ; al- 

 t hough the number and conditions of the individuals are not such as to enable me 

 to make the dissections with the exactitude I could wish. It is a small, black, 

 intensely pubescent insect, agreeing with the American species in palpi, spur-formula, 

 &c., and, I think, also in neuration, though I am obliged to leave this somewhat un- 

 certain for want of materials. Decidedly it belongs to no hitherto known European 

 genus. — R. McLachlax, Lewisham : April otk, 1875. 



Capture of Tropistelhus holo.iericeus at Riddle.idown. — On the 17th April I 

 spent two or three hours in shaking the moss that grows under the juniper bushes 

 at this place, but the only good species of Jleteroptera I saw was Tropistelhus 

 holosericeus, Scholz, and of this but two examples, both of them mutilated. Indeed, 

 such was tlie condition of nearly all of the few hibernated Ileiiiiptera I found ; this 

 result, and former experience of hunting in winter-quarters in Ajiril, lead to the 

 conviction that to obtain quantity and quality the search should not be delayed 

 beyond March. The species is scarce, and the locality for it new. — J. W. Douglas, 

 Lee : April 27th, 1875. 



Capture of Ulopa decussata, $ . — At the same time and place as the foregoinof, 

 among the small bits of earth resulting from the shaking of moss, I caught sight of 

 a ITomopterous form lying motionless on the paper. This at first I took to be the 

 common Paropia scanica, and was inclined to throw it away, but the small size and 

 dark colour (the latter exactly that of the earth on whicli tlie insect rested) induced 

 me to inspect the creature closely, and by the rounded form of the homl I tlien saw I 

 had made the acquaintance of a stranger. Mr. Scott says it is Ulopa decussata, 

 Germ., and I believe he is correct. Fieber puts this as the $ of U. trivia, Germ., 

 of which only a single British examplr, in tlic collection of Mr. Dale, is known 

 (E. M. M., vii, 272).— Id. 



Notes on Mr. Scudder's " Historical Sketch of the Generic names proposed for 

 Butterflies." — Mr. Scudder has kindly sent me the above valuable contribution to 

 the Study of Nomenclature, and I think all entomologists must agree that, as regards 

 the painstaking manner in which the subject is treated, it does him infinite credit ; 

 but, at the same time, I feel satisfied that lie will not be alto^etlu'r followed; I 

 should, personally, be disinclined to agree willi him in every point, for the following 

 reasons : — 



1st. — I am sure that at the outset Mr. Scudder has made a great mistake in 

 being guided in his choice of types by the purely fancifiU or accidental restrictions 

 of genera subsequent to their institution. To put an extreme case, we will suppose 

 that A describes a genus in the Linnean sense (that is, containing many genera) ; a 



