254 f^P"^' 



development wliilst tlie larva is still very young, agreeing in this respect witli the 

 usual history of gall-formations. The short internal mine measures half-an-inch in 

 length, and sometimes less. It is quite free from frass, and the mouth, .situated at the 

 upper end, is protected by a firm, neatly constructed, tube of frass, that extends for 

 one or two lines along the surface of the growth. It might be supposed from its 

 abundance, that it would prove an injurious insect, but this scarcely seems to be the 

 case. In no instance have I known the shoot killed, though occasionally its growth 

 appears to be checked, and an increased tendency shown to the development of side 

 twigs. The cavity gets filled up in the following season, and the enlargement is also 

 in time outgrown. Neither does it lead to injury by inviting the attacks of insect- 

 feeding birds ; similar kind of food is plentiful enough elsewhere at that time of year, 

 and far more get-at-able, and they seem entirely to have passed over this supply, 

 which is quite the opposite to what happens in the case of Servillana, where, at least, 

 one half the mines get torn open in the hungry months of winter. 



The full-grown larva is rather stout, cylindrical, tapering somewhat behind, pale 

 yellowish-green. Head dark or pale brown. Thoracic plates also dark or pale 

 brown, with a darker edging behind, and a pale line down the middle. Anal flap 

 yellow. Legs brown. Spots distinct, dark brown or black — they are said in the 

 " Manual " to be whitish. The posterior trapezoidals are considerably smaller than 

 the anterior, and are occasionally absent, or, I should rather say, want the usual dark 

 pigment, in which case the anterior pairs are coiTcspondingly small. Whilst a resi- 

 dent in the twigs, the chief points of difference are that the larva is more slender 

 of shape, rather transparent, with a pulsating red dorsal vessel and reddish tinge 

 over the body. Some years ago I found four or five specimens of a variety, having 

 a broad, but rather faint, red line running along the sub-dorsal region from the 2nd 

 to the I3th segments, inclusive. They produced typical tetraquetratia. It appears 

 to remain within the stem until after the last moult, growing very slowly all the 

 time, but directly it begins to feed upon the leaves a rapid and great increase of bulk 

 takes place, and in a week, or rather longer, it becomes full-fed. It spins up among 

 rubbish, and changes to a pale red pupa. — John H. Wood, Tarrington, Ledbury : 

 Tehruary Qtli, 1885. 



Coleopliora potentillce, Boyd, in lit. — The larvse of this species I have known 

 for the last two years, but always thought they were those of C. paripenella, for 

 knowing what a general feeder C. paripenella is, and finding it feeding on birch and 

 bramble, under which bushes this same shaped but lighter coloured Coleopliora was 

 feeding on Potentilla tormentilla, 1 concluded they were the same species, and that 

 the very light colour of the cases was due to the food-plant ; but in September of 

 last year, Mr. Fletcher, of Worthing, wrote to me saying he was taking nearly 

 full-fed the larvse of an undescribed Coleophora, feeding on Pofentilla tormentilla, 

 and very kindly offered to send me some, and also went on to describe the history 

 as worked out by Mr. Boyd ; the description he gave so agreed in every respect 

 with the larvse I had noticed on the same plant, that I went at once to Wanstead, 

 found some larvse, and sent them on to Mr. Fletcher, who at once pronounced them 

 to be cases of C. potentillce ; I also found these larvse at Walthamstow and 

 Snaresbrook in most of the sheltered places, under patches of brambles where the 

 food-plant was growing ; they seem to be pretty well distributed all over that part 

 of Epping Forest. 



