X58 ' December, 



The larva is of a uniform dull pink, more or less clouded and spotted with black 

 on the dorsal segments. Some of the younger and smaller specimens were very 

 dingy ; the head is black, with two small white dots at the base ; on the neck arc 

 two conspicuous black dots. When full-fed, it quits the cone and spins a slight 

 cocoon on the surface of the earth. The pupa is bright red and resembles that of 

 Utip. suhfulvata. Another somewhat similarly coloured larva, apparently a Tortrix, 

 feeds inside the cones, in company with that of Hup. togata. Sir Thos. Moncreiffo 

 believes it to be A. strolilella. — H. Haeptjr Cbetve, Drayton-Bcauchamp Rectory, 

 Tring : November 1st, 1875. 



On Ehiilea stacliydalis, a Pyralis new to Britain. — In the third week in June 

 last, while collecting at a short distance from this to^vn, I disturbed, from a dense 

 mass of bushes and herbage, a Pt/ralis which appeared to be a very dark variety of 

 JEhulea .<iamhucalis, and was accordingly boxed. Being much occupied at the time 

 with local Tortrices, I paid little attention to this specimen, and it was not until it 

 had been removed from the setting-board and compared with continental types that 

 I recognised it as Ebulea stacliydalis — a species not previously recorded in this 

 country. 



On further search I found that a Stacliys (S. arvensis, I think) was growing 

 Ivixuriantly on the spot, and from this another specimen was disturbed, which, after 

 settling a moment (out of "aggravation " of course), disappeared in a thick mass of 

 brambles, and was no more seen ; nor could I by any amount of subsequent labour 

 procure a second specimen. 



My friend Mr. Stainton has favored me with an extract from the Stettin, ent. 

 Zeitung, by the late Herr Metzner of Frankfort-on-the-Oder, which not only points 

 out the distinctive characters of the species, but also gives its history, and is there- 

 fore interesting. 



Stett. e. Z., 1846, p. 242, Botys stachydalis, Zincken : — " Treitschke mentions, 

 " in the 7th volume of his work, p. 85, an undescribed Botys stachydalis, coming 

 " near to samhucalis, of which he reserves the description for the Supplement. Tliis 

 " intention was not, however, carried out, since, in the 10th volume of his work, he 

 " is quite silent respecting stachydalis. I find that this species has already bceii 

 " mentioned, whicli probably led Treitschke to hope that he should loarn to know it. 

 " It is in Charpentier's remarks on the Micro-Lepidoptera of the Wiener Verzeiclmiss, 

 " p. 15, wlicrc Zincken says, in note 23, ' with stachydalis, mihi, a species of Fyrali.^ 

 " ' discovered by mc on Stachys sylvatica.' 



'• But since then this stachydalis has been lost sight of; and in the printed 

 " catalogue of Treitschke's collection it is not mentioned, which proves that he had 

 " not learned to know it. But we fiiid in this catalogue a Parietarialis, Mann, 

 " introduced immediately after samhucalis. This species, probably taken by Mann 

 "of Vienna on Parietaria ojfflcinaH.i, if not found as a larva, was largely distributed 

 " by the industrious discoverer under this somewhat lengthy name. It had also 

 " reached Duponchel, in whose latest work, ' Catalogue des Lepidopteres d'Europe,' 

 " Paris, 1816, it is introduced in the genus Botys at p. 207, but as Parietarialis, 

 " Tarreyss, and as a variety of samhucalis. * * * * This Parietarialis is just that 

 " stachydalis, and according to all law and right ^he older name must be adopted. 



