1^^7.}- IGl 



one on each side, on the back of segments 3 and 4, by which many of the 

 larvae of the Gelechidce may, I believe, be known from other larvse, whether 

 belonging to the Tineina or the Tortricina. These spots are much smaller than the 

 ordinary ones, and lie close to the middle line, interior to, and slightly in advance 

 of, the first ordinary spot. It is now about two years since I first noticed these 

 spots, and in the interval many larvae liave been examined ; the result being, that 

 whilst they have been present in every Depressaria and Oelechia, in which the 

 ordinary spots were distinct, they have been absent, as far as I have seen, in all the 

 others. Should further observation confirm this, a rather curious point will, I think, 

 have been established, and one of some practical importance in a subject, whei'e so 

 much is difiicult and obscure. I may add that these spots have already done good 

 service by enabling me on more than one occasion to locate at once a new or half- 

 forgotten larva. — John H. Wood, Tarrington, Ledbury : November 11th, 1887. 



Note on Batrachedra pinicolella.—l have read Dr. Wood's account of the 

 life-history of this species {ante, p. 126) with considerable interest, liut was rather 

 astonished to find it stated that its food-plant is the spruce {Abies excelsa), and not 

 the Scotch fir {Pinus sylvestris), with which latter tree I had always thought it was 

 connected. The insect is, in some seasons, not uncommon in this district, and from 

 the circumstances under which I have sometimes taken the imago, I think it extremely 

 improbable that its larva is entirely a spruce-feeder. On referring to my notes, I 

 find that on July 5th, 1885, fifteen specimens were taken by beating Scotch fir, most 

 of them being in fine condition. Now, the nearest spruce is quite half a mile distant 

 from where I obtained these specimens. Hence it would seem by no means unlikely 

 that in our district Batrachedra pinicole/la is principally, if not entirely, a Scotch 

 fir-feeder. — E. A. Atmoee, King's Lynn, Norfolk : Norember Sth, 1887. 



Kepoet of the Entomologist foe the teae 1886, by Chaeles V. Eixey 

 M.A., Ph.D. From the Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture for the 

 year 1886. With 11 plates. Washington : 1887, 8vo. 



It is perhaps sufficient praise to say that the contents of this Report are as 

 varied and exhaustive as are those of its predecessors. We can only allude 

 especially to two articles. The fii'st is on Icerya Pitrchasi, Maskell (" the 

 cottony cushion-scale"), which is doing enormous damage in California, into 

 which it is presumed to have been imported from Australia in 1872. Mr. Maskell 

 has, in another place, detailed the ravages caused by it in New Zealand. Although 

 there seems a probability that the natural food-plants are species of Acacia, it 

 unfortunately shows itself capable of subsisting on almost any plant, and it is one of 

 the very few Coccidce that are active in all stages. The details for this are very full 

 and interestiiig, and are illustrated by several plates, one of which is coloured. The 

 male is a very extraordinary creature, and in its antennae, and otherwise, differs greatly 

 from that sex of most CoccidcB. In an appendix are given the results of no less than 

 156 experiments with various remedial agents, the preference being given to soap 

 washes. The second article we propose to notice is that on "Buffalo Gnats," which, 

 translated into scientific language, means species of Simulium (" IMidges"). In our 







