CURRENT NOTES. 45 



Oberthiir, in the Bull. Soc. Ent. France, nos. 19, 20 (1907), has 

 named some new species and interesting local forms taken last summer 

 in Algeria by Mr. Powell. Among others, Catucala sponm var. laeta 

 and C. prumhm var. hilarh, will be interesting to British lepidopterists. 



Microlepidopterists also may be glad to have their attention drawn 

 to Demaison's note on '■'■ Acrulepia j/ranitdla " and Joannis' account of 

 two new species of Nepticnla, viz. (1) A', erytliroijenella, the larvae 

 mining bramble leaves from September to the end of November, and 

 the imagines appearing from June 8th to July 22nd. The imago with 

 two non-metallic separate spots; (2,) y. spinoaella, the larvie mining 

 the leaves of sloe (prunellier) from early September to the end of 

 October, the imagines appearing from June 21st to July 10th, and 

 being probably double-brooded. The differences between the mine of 

 this and those of A^ platjiculella and N. apinosella are pointed out ; whilst the 

 imago is compared with that of X.plagicolella only. It is said to belong to 

 the rubivura and arcuatella group (op. cit., pp. 326-329). Joannis also 

 notes (p. 3-11) the larvte of Acalla nckaUeviana as doing great damage 

 to azaleas at Bruges. 



We hear that Mr. Verrall's second volume of " British Flies " is in 

 the printer's bands, and will be published this year ; it will deal with 

 the families Stratioiiit/idae, Leptidae, Tabanldae, (Jyrtidae, Bonibj/lidat', 

 Therenidae, Scoiophiidae, and Asilidae, including some of our largest 

 and most conspicuous species of Diptera. The general arrangement 

 will be the same as the previous volume, on the PlaUjpezidae, 

 Pipuncididae, and Syrphidae published in 1901, but the catalogue at 

 the end will be replaced by a list of the Paltearctic species arranged 

 systematically. We have no doubt the appearance of this volume will 

 be cordially welcomed by many of our readers, and the list will, one 

 suspects, be especially valued by students both in Britain and abroad. 



It seems only a short time ago since Professor A. K. Grote left 

 America, settled down at Hildesheim, and quite revivified the Eoemer 

 Museum, producing a series of brochures of great interest to lepidop- 

 terists. Since his death, we have heard nothing of the work of the 

 Museum, but now there comes to hand, dated December, 1907, another 

 booklet, "Die Schmetterlingsfauna von Hildesheim," by Wilhelm 

 Bode, dedicated to his highly esteemed teacher and friend, Prof. A. R. 

 Grote, i.e., with exactly the same title as No. 8 of Grote's series, dated 

 1897. The list has some systematic value, and contains some of the 

 more recent changes of nomenclature. Other details, however, long 

 since cleared up, are not varied from the list of 10 years ago. The 

 number of misspellings in the generic names appears to be greater 

 than usual in such publications. 



OBITUARY. 



Ye dead, that live again 



In that, ye leave behind, 

 Well knew that labour spent 



Enriching other's mind, 

 Would leave us, too, 'mid grief untold, 

 A precious gift, more prized than gold. 



Arthur John Chitty, M.A., F.E.S. 



Born May 27th, 1,S59. Died Jnnnunj (ith, 1908. 



We were able to notify last month, just as we were going to 



