46 . f-'iiy- 
over again what it has already eaten, and perhaps to repeat this process more than 
once." (Reaumur, Memoires II., pp. 490-491.) This curious notice of economy of 
material in the larva of Gelechia cerealella has not, that I am aware of, been verified 
by any subsequent writer. I stumbled upon it quite by accident just as I was 
writing the last sentence of the General Observations on the genus Oelechia for the 
10th volume of the Natural History of the Tineina. — H. T. Stainton, Mountsfield, 
Lewisham, S.E., May 18th, 1866. 
Proposed accotmts of Entomological excursions. — I fancy it would be interesting to 
English readers to learn what our districts, which are of so difi'erent a character 
from England's, produce in Lepidoptera. How would it answer were I in each 
month to write out a full account of the most productive excursion ? I can only 
account for our not having such notices, as far as I can recollect at this moment, in 
our German periodicals, by supposing that one fears to make a communication 
which should not be of suiBcient interest ; hence we have accounts of excursions to 
the Alps, to the Riesengebirge, &o., but none of excursions in the immediate neigh- 
bourhood of towns in the plain. In the Intelligencer there are, indeed, many such ; 
but as it appears to me they are generally written by beginners, who therefore 
confine their attention to a few butterflies. — P. C. Zeller, Meseritz, Prussia, May 
15th, 1866. 
Occurrence nf Lathridius filum, AuhS ; a species neiv to Britain. — I have taken a 
species of Lathridius here, under the following circumstances : — Two years ago I 
wished to dry specimens of some of the species of Aconite cultivated in the Botanic 
Garden ; and accordingly gathered a few examples from plants growing here. 
The plants were put in drying paper, and left untouched for some time, — 
absence from home preventing my changing the papers. On returning, T 
found the specimens moulded and useless, and several examples of a beetle 
among them. Beetles and plants were immediately destroyed, with the excep- 
tion of two of the former ; as I desired to rid myself of what I thought a pest. 
These specimens were in February shown by me to Mr. D. Sharp, who at once 
recognised them as belonging to a species new to Britain ; and by careful exami- 
nation of the old drying paper, which had been left undisturbed, numerous other 
examples were discovered. The Aconites were not British species, but had been 
for some time in cultivation ; and there are but few exotic specimens in my herba- 
rium. I do not think, therefore, that the insect can have been introduced in any 
way from abroad. The drying paper and remains of the Aconites have again (June) 
yielded a few specimens. — W. R. McNab, Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, June 
nth, 1866. 
[Mr. McNab has kindly sent me some examples of the insect above recorded, 
which I have no difficulty in referring to the Lathridius filum of Aub6, Ann. de la 
Soc. Ent. do France, 2me Serie, 1850, 334, 44 ; a species much resembling L. fili- 
formis, Gyll., but differing from that insect in being even more linear in shape, with 
its thorax more cordate, less widely margined, and with a small but distinct and 
rounded impression on the disc. M. Aube mentions that it was detected by M. 
Gnerin Meneville, who bred it from a fungus received from Algeria : the species, 
however, is probably as much entitled to rank as British as many of its easily 
introduced allies. — E. C. R.] 
