220 [M;irch, 



But now Mr. W. H. Harwood, of Colchester, who has found the 

 species in Essex, has forwarded specimens and supplied me with 

 information which throws considerable light on the subject. 



It appears that, although both forms— or species — are found in 

 Essex, they do not occur together, the normal zephjrana (duhrisana, 

 Curt.) being common on railway and other banks where wild carrot 

 (Daucus carotd) grows, at the end of May and beginning of June, 

 and readily taken on the wing — as, indeed, it is elsewhere, — while 

 maritimana occurs only on sand-hills, the larva feeding in the stems 

 and roots of sea-holly {Eryngium maritimum), and is so sluggish that 

 Mr. Harwood has not been able to take it on the wing, but can only 

 rear it from the Eryngmm stems, and that it does not emerge until 

 the end of June or July. 



In carefully comparing the two forms, I find that in zepJiyrana 

 (diih'isana) the central fascia of the fore-wings is very oblique, rising 

 on the dorsal margin near the base, and terminating in the middle of 

 the costa. Beyond it is a second broad fascia arising near the anal 

 angle, and parallel with the first. 



Maritivunia has also two fascife, but the first is strongly angulated 

 in the middle, so that its extremities are opposite each other. The 

 second is nearly straight across the wing, except that its inner margin 

 is two or three times angulated. A still more important distinction is 

 in the greater breadth of wing of maritimana, and its less oblique 

 hind margin. It is of a deeper richer yellow than zephyrana, but has 

 similar silvery lines. Its hind-wings are darker than those of 

 zephyrana, but have the base ivhite, with grey reticulations. 



These distinctions seem to be of specific value, and I now think 

 that ArgyroJepia maritimana may safely be admitted as a distinct 

 species. 



Stigmonota Leplastriana, Curt. — The Eev. C. R. Digby most kindly 

 sent me a number of larvse of this species in shoots of wild cabbage 

 {^Brassica oleracea). They were in the small shoots just where they 

 spring from the main stem, and had bored quite through the pieces of 

 shoot when they reached me. I therefore procured from a neighbouring 

 garden a good sized cabbage plant which had run up for blossom and 

 had numerous side shoots. This I planted in a large flower pot and laid 

 the pieces of wild cabbage containing the larvse on the earth around 

 it. Very soon, as the pieces decayed, the larvse deserted them, climbed 

 the plant and entered the side shoots, so that, before long, each one 

 was tenanted, and bore evidence, in the shape of a little heap of frass 

 protruding from a hole close to the joint, that the inmate was satisfac- J" 



