1874.1 267 



gave me a good season, and made rae independent, in a measure, of the ungenial 

 spring and early summer. Q-ranting, in short, that ova and larvte are very con- 

 veniently exchanged by rail or pest, I maintain that pupae come next to these, 

 and are more safely sent on their travels than the imago. — B. Smith, Marlow : 

 February, 1874. 



Capture of Halonota grandee lana near Hartlepool in 1864. — Amongst some 

 un-named Micros collected in 1S62— 64, which I sent to Mr. Hodgkinson, of 

 Preston, last year, was a Tortrix which he now wi'ites me has been returned to him 

 by Mr. Stainton as Halonota grand cevana ; this should, therefore, have been on our 

 British list since 1864, if not a year or two earlier. — J. Gaudneb, 8, Friar Terrace, 

 Hartlepool : March 18th, 1874. 



Description of the larva and case of Brachycentrus subnubilus, Curtis. — At 

 page 166 of Vol. ix of this Magazine, I gave a few notes on the larva of Brachy- 

 centrus, showing that its association with the hitherto somewhat enigmatical quad- 

 rangular cases often described, was founded on fact, Mr. W. C. Boyd having reared 

 young larvie from the egg, and the cases they formed being decidedly quadrangiilar. 

 But, owing to the untimely decease of these larvte, further description was then 

 impossible. With praiseworthy pertinacity, Mr. Boyd, in the spring of 1873, re- 

 newed his investigations. Eggs laid by females in March of that year were placed 

 in an aquarium with Conferva, &c. ; soon afterwards he again had the satisfaction 

 of seeing numerous small larvae apparently feeding upon the Conferva. Their numbers 

 gradually decreased, and the sole suiwivor died a few days since, being then nearly 

 eleven months old, and no doubt nearly full-grown. From it and its case I have 

 drawn up the following description : — 



The case is ten millimetres long ; two and three-quarters of a mill, broad at its 

 larger end, and one and a-half at the smaller, gradually decreasing from one to the 

 other; the transverse section at either end is perfectly quadrangular, the larger end 

 quite open, the smaller partially closed by a membrane, but having a large circular 

 opening in the centre ; the external angles are not sharply indicated. In colour it 

 is a dark obscure olive-green, almost smooth, but shewing, under a lens, very numerous 

 narrow transverse indications of successive additions to its length as the larva in- 

 creased in size. The nature of the materials of which it is constructed is a little 

 doubtful ; but I think it is chiefly made of silk secreted by the larva, mixed 

 with a certain proportion of masticated Conferva, the latter causing the olive-green 

 colour. Its consistence is slight, readily yielding under the pressure of the fingers, 

 and as readily resuming its original form when the pressure is removed. The texture 

 of this case is much finer than those I already possessed, found by Mr. Parfitt near 

 Exeter, and infinitely finer than those found by me near Scarborough, these latter 

 differing so greatly as to leave some doubt if they be the work of the same species 

 {cf Vol. ix, p. 166). 



The larva is ten millimetres long, sub-cylindrical, and nearly of equal diameter 

 throughout. Its general colour is a very pale evanescent-green, with a trace of 

 orange on the dorsum of the abdomen. The head forms a regular round oval, and is 

 yellowish, with a few isolated black hairs ; on the disc are three fuscous markings, 

 viz., two longitudinal oblique stria;, each enclosing three pale points, and between the 

 base of these strise a somewhat cordate spot, enclosing an irregular pale space ; the 



