154 [December, 



they are remnants of the many-broodedness of the insect on the con- 

 tinent. 1879 was a cold, wet season, hence ambiguella may have only 

 meant to do a single brood, and so did not pupate until the spring of 

 1880. August, 1880, on the other hand, was hot and dry. May not 

 the larva have thought to run through another cycle of existence, and 

 have accordingly pupated, and had its further development stopped by 

 the break-up of the weather about September 10th ? However, these 

 are but guesses. The larva is not dainty as to the material of its case, 

 some use the leaf of Rhamnus, others that of the oak or a piece of 

 the bracken-frond ; I have one made of the bark of the honeysuckle, 

 and another has tacked a ' hair-pin ' from the Scotch fir to its case." 



Here is material for thought ! 



It is singular that continental authors make no mention of these 

 cases. Dr. Hofmann quotes Yon E-oser's " Observations on the worm 

 of the Grape. — Bed-brown, with four pale, somewhat transparent 

 spots on each segment, and a tuft of hair in the middle. Head dark 

 brown. In several generations on vine. The first brood in the flowers 

 which it draws together, the second in the unripe, and the third in 

 the ripe berries (grapes), out of which the excrement is observable. 

 It is very mischievous. It pupates in the flowers or on the stem. 

 Imago in from fourteen to eighteen days, the last brood emerging in 

 the spring." 



This does not seem to agree very well with our insect, yet the 

 perfect insects are precisely alike, and Prof. Zeller assures me that 

 ambiguella is found on the continent in woods where there are no 

 vines, as well as in the vineyards. 

 Pembroke : 12th November, 1881. 



ON CERTAIN SOUTH AMERICAN VELT1IACIDM. 

 BY JOHN SCOTT. 



Dr. C. Berg, Professor in the University of Buenos Ayres, was so 

 kind as to forward me a copy of his work the " Hemiptera Argen- 

 tina," a review of which appeared at page 90 of the present volume 

 of this Magazine, and, having carefully perused the same, I observed 

 that he had described a Liburnia under the name of cognata, a name 

 previously given to a species of this genus by the late Dr. Fieber. I 

 thereupon wrote to him calling his attention to the fact, and requesting 

 him to be good enough to permit me to see all his species of this 

 group. He at once sent me a box containing his types and other 

 examples which, having assorted and arranged according to the 



