PRACTICAL HINTS. 181 



luxuriantly by the roadsides (even very dusty ones) be examined, one 

 may frequently find the leaves, with large white membranous blotches. 

 Upon looking on their lower surfaces, large nearly upright, side- 

 flattened bunches of leaf -fragments are seen. These are the cases of 

 the larvfe of Coleophora linenlea, and where they are found, it is gener- 

 ally in abundance, but always considerably sheltered by a thick hedge. 



3. — The larvae of two species, Cnlcophora solitaviella and C. oliva- 

 ceella, are now to be met with on Stellaria holostea, that brilliant little 

 hedgerow star, which is so conspicuous at this time of the year. The 

 former is always in much greater numbers than the latter, indeed to get a 

 respectable number of them is difficult. The cases are attached to the 

 grass-like leaves of the foodplant, and the larvas make conspicuous 

 blotches. C. olivaceella is easily distinguished from that of ('. 

 solitaviella by its darker case and slightly different angle of attachment 

 to the leaf. These species also feed under some sheltering hedge or 

 bush. 



4. — On bright afternoons in the middle and end of May the imagines 

 of Coleophora niurinipennella maybe swept in numbers, flying low down 

 in the fields near woods, where the wood-rush (Ltizala) grows. 



5. — On most of our large heaths, assiduous sweeping near the 

 shelter of trees and bushes, will produce a quantity of cases of 

 Coleophora juitcicolella and C. pijrrludipemiella. The former is 

 our smallest species of the genus, and the cases are most difficult to 

 find. The best way is to save all the sweepings in a bag and examine 

 each day to see if any larvje have crawled out. In the course of a 

 week or ten days, no doubt a number will be obtained. The cases of 

 the latter species are more conspicuous, and may easily be found by 

 searching the sweep-net. To breed these species, one needs to have 

 established plants of heath in pots and cover with muslin. Of course 

 the plants must be kept out-of-doors. 



6. — The broom should now be searched and beaten for the cases of 

 Coleophora saturatella. They are large and rubbishy-looking cases, 

 and the larvsp should not require much more feeding before they 

 pupate. 



7. — A visit to the saltings, where the seawormwood grows in 

 abundance, may perchance produce the cases of Coleophora artemisiella 

 and C. )iiaritima. It is best to place a sweep-net under the base of the 

 stems of the bunches of Artemisia, and beat the plants and the basal 

 rubbish into it for examination. This is a tedious process, but other- 

 wise very few larvae will be obtained. The imagines can be bred by 

 placing the larvte on the garden Artemisia, " old man." 



8. — The cases of a species, which seems known to but very few 

 collectors, viz., Coleophora ardeaepennella are now obtainable on birch. 

 They are often mistaken for the cases of C. ibipennella among which 

 they are usually found, both species often feeding on the same leaf. 

 The cases of the latter species are almost prostrate, while those of the 

 former are more upright in their attachment. 



9. — Young larch plantations should be searched for the presence of 

 Coleophora larirella. The needles will be extensively browned by the 

 depredations of the nearly fullfed larvas if present, and large numbers 

 of the cases may be obtained. As pine is an easy foodplant to keep, 

 there will be little difficulty in breeding the imagines. 



10. — Many elms we have been told in previous '• Hints " will pro- 



