1880.] 45 



rapidly as Tinea pellionella in the box. I watch them carefully through the glass- 

 topped boxes, those habits conclusively put Schivarziella to one side. I sent six to 

 Mr. Stainton, both sexes, in fine order, he writes me they are Nemophora pilella, a 

 species that has been taken in Grlen Tilt, and at Rannoch, Scotland, and among 

 Vaccinium, in Germany j now that he sees a fine series, not having before seen many 

 specimens, he has no doubt mine are this species, the main and most distinctive dif- 

 ference being the dark under- wings which are quite of a purplish black, I may add 

 there are no other plants for the larva to feed on but Vaccinium and fir, little or no 

 heath grows beneath the fir trees ; I never had this species before, and what I have 

 seen under this name in collections are only Schivarziella ; even Schwarziella's fore- 

 wings are not as rounded as those of N. pilella nor yet so scaly ; it comes near 

 Metaxella in general appearance. — J. B. Hodgkinson, 15, Spring Bank, Preston : 

 June IZth, 1880. 



Strange liabitat for the larva of Batrachedra prceangusta. — On the 10th inst., I 

 received from Lord Walsingham a healthy living larva of this species, which he had 

 found in a nest of a goldfinch. Lord Walsingham writes thus : — " In the lining of 

 " a goldfinch's nest I found to-day the larva sent herewith. At first it puzzled me 

 " much, but when I saw the lining of the nest was made of the cotton-like down from 

 " the sallow catkins, I recognised the larva of Batrachedra prceangusta. During the 

 " last two seasons I had searched more than once for this larva to send you, but in 

 « vain". 



The occurrence of larvse in birds's-nests is nothing unusual, as they are the natural 

 habitat of Tinea lapella and possibly of some other species of the genus Tinea ; but 

 in the present instance the larva was a foreign body accidentally introduced, and no 

 doubt the larva itself helped to explain to Lord "Walsingham of what materials the 

 lining of the nest was really composed, for the larva of B. prceangusta is so remarkably 

 conspicuous that any one who has once seen it can hardly fail to recognise it wherever 

 met with. — H. T. Stainton, Mountsfield, Lewisham, S.E. : June 12th, 1880. 



JEidophasia Messingiella at Hokendorf near Stettin. — On the 16th instant (I 

 was then on a visit to Dr. Dohrn, at his residence at Hokendorf), I went in the fore- 

 noon to a locality where I knew that the larva of JE. Messingiella was to be found on 

 Cardamine amara. Though we had had a long period of dry weather, I found it 

 just as moist in the alder-woods as usual. I remained there sweeping the low 

 herbage (though much tormented by midges) for two hours and collected upwards 

 of 100 larvae, of different sizes, of Eidophasia Messingiella. To-day about a score 

 have spun up and two are already in pupa. — P. C. Zeller, Grunhof, near Stettin : 

 May 21st, 1880. 



Mamestra pomerana, at Misdroy on the Baltic. — My friend Professor BTering 

 has made two excursions lately. He and Herr Biittner were at Misdroy on the 

 Baltic, where they obtained from under the roots of Artemisia maritima, buried in 

 the sand, about 150 pupa? of Mamestra pomerana. (I do not know whether this 

 species has yet been detected in England). At the same place they also found a 

 number of larvse of Agrotis prcecox. — Id. 



[Mamestra pomerana is described by Gr. Schulz in the Stettin, ent. Zeitung,1869, 



