1ST6.] 253 



The material -will give mo plenty of work on our return, which I hope will bo 

 not later than early in June. 



Mrs. Wollaston has not added greatly to her Lepidoptera during the last two 

 months, for the island is both poor and rather commonplace in that order, and the 

 heat was becoming too much for her before wo left. 



Madeira is comparatively so well known that I do not think I shall distress 

 myself with work during our short sojourn there. Still, I have always points to be 

 cleared up, and a few others (especial ones) to be attended to. 



We have had no entomological news since we left home (in August last), the 

 Magazine not having been forwarded from Teignraouth. Should bo glad to have 

 a sweep again in an English meadow. — T. V. Wollaston, On board the S. S. 

 "American" (Lat. 0) : February 2Gth, 1876. 



The Douhleday Collection. — The valuable collection of butterflies and moths 

 belonging to, and collected by, the late Mr. Henry Doubleday, of Epping, has been 

 now, by the wish of many collectors, and with consent of the Trustees, placed in the 

 Bethnal Green Museum, to bo called " The Doubleday Collection." 



Sahit of the larva of Jlemerosia Rheediella. — About fifteen months ago, I re- 

 ceived a rather startling piece of intelligence from Ilerr Miihlig, of Frankfort-on- 

 the-Main, in reference to the larva of AntispUa Ffeifferella, which he assured me, 

 from repeated observations, had been found (at any rate in the Frankfort district) to 

 feed, not like the larva3 of A. TreitschkieUa, mining the leaves, but spinning up in 

 the Jlowers of the dog-wood, Cornus sangidnea, and, when full-fed, boring into soft 

 or rotten wood or bark, and remaining there unchanged from June to April. 



To this, I replied that his news was very interesting, though scarcely credible, 

 yet I knew he was a good observer, &c., &c. 



Ten days ago I heard again from him, tliat after rearing, apparently, for four 

 years in succession, AntispUa Ifeifferella from tlie larva in the dog-wood flowers, he 

 had at last been successful in rearing Jlemerosia Rheediella. His plan had always 

 been to leave the dog- wood blossoms and some soft wood for the hibernating larvse in 

 a flower pot exposed to the weather aU the winter, and, to prevent tilings getting 

 too dry, lie had put a lot of dog-wood leaves in the flower-pot, hence the AntispUa 

 Pfeifferella had been unwittingly carried in to spoil the experiment, and the Uemerosia 

 Rheediella had probably perished, causing the images of Ifeifferella to appear as 

 the results of the larvas in the Cornus blossoms. In tlie winter of 1871-5 he tried 

 again, and this time without dog-wood leai^es, and no Pfelfferella made their 

 appearance. 



Cornus sanguinea is, I believe, at any rate, a new food-plant for the larva of 

 Jlemerosia Rheediella. Probably, if it likes flowers of dog-wood, it may also like 

 flowers of hawthorn, apple, &c. Herr Miihlig's note of its habits agrees with 

 "Wilkinson's remark (British Torlriccs, p. 157) : "wo are credibly infornu-d that it 

 " burrows into the bark to undergo its final change." — H. T. Stainton, Mountsfield, 

 Lewisham, S.E. : February 29th, 1 87G. 



