150 [December, 



wander on to some adjoining leaf, the tip or side of which they roll 

 downwards, and, in the roll thus formed, they feed greedily on the 

 outer covering or epidermis, both of the upper and under surface of 

 the leaf; and as soon as the stock of food within their immediate reach 

 is exhausted, they roll the leaf a bit further along its length or breadth, 

 and continue to repeat this process on other leaves till they are full fed. 



The larvfe do not always confine themselves to merely rolling the 

 leaf along its under side, as some may be observed living inside leaves 

 which have been doubled over, with their two edges united along their 

 whole extent ; others, again, may be found feeding between united 

 leaves, after the fashion of the larvae of ChimabaccJie fagelJa and Gelecfiia 

 triparella. I have never observed them feeding in this manner on 

 privet, but on ash and lilac I have met with them repeatedly so situated; 

 in the autumn of 1866 I particularly remember seeing a fine old ash 

 tree in the Seven Sisters' Eoad, Holloway, on which very many of these 

 larvfe were feeding between united leaves. 



The fondness of the larvse for their three food-plants is exhibited 

 by them in a marked manner ; for instance, if we collect three mined 

 lilac leaves inhabited by these larvfe when about to quit their mines, 

 and place over the first a leaf of privet, over the second an ash leaf, 

 and over the third a lilac leaf, we shall find that the larvse which had 

 previously fed entirely on lilac will attack with perfect indiiference the 

 three leaves offered to them. 



When not overcrowded, this larva is a sociable little animal : I 

 have placed those from several different localities together, and they 

 fed quite amicably, and went through their transformations ; but, if they 

 are overcrowded, they do not get on quite so comfortably together ; 

 thus, I once placed 26 larvae between two large lilac leaves, and, on the 

 third day, I observed several larvae that had been bitten by their com- 

 panions were scattered on the leaf in a dying state. I have noticed 

 that after the larva is once bitten, it never recovers from the effects of 

 the bite ; the bitten part of the body turns black, the larva refuses all 

 food, decreases gradually in size, and, after languishing for a few days, dies. 



(To be contvnued.) 



A NEW SPECIES OF CONIOPTERYX FEOM AUSTRALIA. 

 BY R. m'lACHLAN, F.L.S. 



The species described below is interesting as proving the occur- 

 rence in Australia of these minute Neuropterous insects. It differs 

 from the European and American species in its dark coloration, and in 

 the almost entire absence of the usually conspicuous powdery covering ; 

 yet the structural characters appear to be identical. 



