1887.] 253 



being marked with white; the eyes are sub-contiguous; the abdomen is of a glaucous- 

 white colour, with black triangular marks. The middle femora are armed beneath 

 with long and strong spines, which are grouped together, somewhat into the form of 

 a tuft, towards the centre. The middle tibioe are ciliated along the whole length of 

 their under surfaces with stifp hairs, which gradually increase in length towards the 

 extremity. The hind tibiae have only a few irregular bristles on their outer sides, 

 and no long hairs on their outer ones. The wings are fuscous. The female is like 

 the male in colour, the thorax being black, and strongly marked on the sides with 

 white ; the abdomen is brown, shining, and immaculate. The length is about 85 mm. 

 This species is not uncommon. It is rather larger than H. serena, has a move 

 glaucous abdomen, with more distinct triangular marks ; it is of a blacker colour, 

 the legs being quite black ; the middle legs are more strongly armed with spines and 

 hairs ; the transverse veins of the wings are rather farther apart, and the axillary 

 vein is longer and more curved, curling round the extremity of the anal vein. 



H. NIGRISQUAMA, Sp. n. 

 Mas, thorace ex toto nigro-nitido ; ahdomine cinereo micante, linea dorsali nigra, 

 fasciisque transversis nigrescentihiis obscuris ; oculis niidis maximis, contiguis ; alls 

 brevihus fuscis ; calgptris atris ; halteribus flavescentibus ; pedibus simplicibus 

 nigris. Long., 4 mm. 



Head rather wider than the thorax, the sides being entirely covered by the eyes, 

 which are large, bare, and contiguous. 



Thorax shining black, without any signs of white on the shoulders or sides. 



Abdomen rather wide, conical and flattened, without projecting anal appendages ; 

 it shows grey and black reflections, when viewed from behind, and has a longitudinal 

 black dorsal line, which is interrupted at the sutures, but not dilated into definite 

 triangular spots, as in many species in this genus ; when viewed in certain lights, 

 however, brown or black ill-defined patches shew themselves across the middle of 

 the segments. 



Wings short and sub-nigrescent. 



Calyptra have the scales of moderate and unequal sizes, and of a brownish- 

 black colour. 



Halteres bright yellow. 



Legs quite black, and simple, showing no special armament or structure, with 

 the exception of there being two little tufts of short bristles which project one on 

 each side from the under surface of the ends of the middle femora. 



I have only seen two examples of this well-marked little species ; one was 

 captured on July Vth, 1882, near Bicester Oxon, and the other at Couishead Priory, 

 near Ulverston, on August 2nd, 1886. I do not know the female. 



(To be continued). 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF ELACHISTA ALLIED TO 

 RRYNCEOSPORELLA, STN. 



BY n. T. STAINTON, F.E.S. 



Elachista scirpi, n. sp. Exp. al., ^, 4^ lin. ; $ , 5 — 6 lin. 

 Head and face grey or whitish (not so white as in rhynchosporella) . 

 Anterior-wings white, much suffused with grey, especially below the costa and 

 towai'ds the inner margin ; these grey markings have, however, no definite outline 



