1885.] ^^j_ 



hardly have been overlooked till now by collectors.— Edward Saunders, St. Ann's, 

 Bromley, Kent : 3rd October, 1885. 



The habitat of Phytocoris distinctus. — Eeferring to the remarks by ]\rr. 

 Douglas in last month's issue, p. 116, concevwmg Phytocoris distinctus ; Populus alba 

 is certainly not the only tree frequented by these insects. They occur not uncom- 

 monly on the limes {Tilia grandifolia) in the Cathedral Close at Norwich. They 

 are often to be seen exercising themselves on the railings under these trees, but are 

 very difficult to capture owing to their extreme agility, — H. J. Thottless, Cathedral 

 Close, Norwich : October 10th, 1885. 



JEriopeltis festuccB, Forts., an addition to the British Coccidce. — For several 

 years I have seen this little Coccid on the grass Festuca bromoides, but not tmtil I 

 became interested in the Micro-gasterides did I take the trouble to examine it, and 

 try to find out what it was. 



The female in the autumn is clothed with a garb of white cotton, in which to 

 pass the winter, and its appearance, would, for the moment, deceive the best and 

 oldest Lepidopterist, should he be in search of ichneumon-cocoons, and he would, I 

 feel certain, at once arrive at the conclusion it was an Apanteles-coeoon, from its 

 size, shape, colour, and the way it is fixed on the grass-stem ; but upon examination, 

 with a lens, it would be a puzzle for him to account for the numerous short curly 

 ends projecting from it. 



The pupa-scales may be found about the middle of July, almost close to the 

 roots of the food-plant ; they are very small, and can only be obtained by pulling 

 the grass up by the roots. 



On the 22nd July, in company with Mr. J. Scott, I visited the locality where I 

 had seen the females on several occasions. After being deceived several times by a 

 seed (I believe a grass-seed), adhering to the fescue-grass, which looked very much 

 like a scale, Scott at last obtained two scales, which afterwards proved to be a male 

 and female ; the male made its appearance two days after, while in transit through 

 the post to Mr. Douglas ; these were taken on the road leading to Wliitsand Bay. 

 On the 3rd of August, at Bickleigh, not far from the station, towards Shaugh Bridge, 

 Scott and I obtained several females, clothed in white cotton, but not to such an 

 extent as when taken in October ; these were obtained low down on the stems, those 

 found at the end of September and during October are well up from the soil, and 

 very conspicuous. I have always found them in hedges facing the north. On 

 October 19th I again visited the Whitsand Bay locality, which is reached from 

 Plymouth by passing through Wiggall Farmyard, and found many females, which 

 proved, on examination, by removing a part of the cottony covering, to be a mass of 

 eggs, — Gr. C. BiGNELL, Stonehousc, Devon : October 20th, 1885. 



[This species was first found in France on Festuca phcenicoides and F. ccespitosa 

 described by Boyer de Fonscolombe, and figured (indifferently) in the " Annales de 

 la Soc. Ent.' de France," iii, p. 216 ; pi. 3, fig. 9 (1834), under the name of Coccus 

 festuccB. It was afterwards referred by Dr. Signoret to a genus, and was more 

 perfectly described and figured as Friopeltis festuca, in his " Essai sur les 

 Cochinelles," p. 184 ; pi. 1, fig. 18 ; pi. 2, fig. 7 ; and pi. 8, fig. 3 (1877).-J. W. D.] 



