256 [April, 



Captures of Lepidoptera in Galway. — In November last, Mr. Smith (known to 

 Mr. Birchall) brought to be named a box of insects, most of which were taken by 

 his cousin, Miss Nugent, in Galway. Among them were Pyrgus malrce* (new to the 

 Irish list), Triphatna subsequa, and Halias quercana (inserted doubtfully in Mr. 

 Birchall's List). Of the last named we have an old specimen in the Society's 

 collection, from the late Mr. Furlong's collection ; but, being without a label, it is 

 impossible to say if it were taken in Ireland or not. — W. F. Kirby, Dublin. 



Note on the economy, Sfc, of Eupoecilia suhroseana. — I am rather puzzled about 

 the economy of Eupcecilia suhroseana. The 'Manual' gives as its localities 

 " Ambleside and near Airthrey, in heathy places." 



Now I find it in this neighbourhood in certain low-lying and warm copses 

 where the underwood is of two or three years growth, and in the open places and 

 paths. Here it occurs — rarely to be sure, for I never took a dozen in a season — at 

 intervals all the summer. Its times of appearance seem to be, middle to end of 

 May and beginning of June, end of June and beginning of July, beginning and end 

 of August and beginning of September. 



Whether there are three or four broods, or only one appearing at long intervals 

 seems hard to say, and equally so to guess at its food plant, for if it has a pre- 

 ference it seems to be for oak bushes. Altogether these habits seem singular for a 

 northern heath insect. Of heath there are hundreds of acres in this neighbour- 

 hood, and I have worked them carefully, but never met with sitbroseana on or 

 near them, and although there are here and there in the woods in which it is found 

 small patches of heath, it seems most sedulously to avoid them. 



I find I am not alone in the difficulty about this species, for one friend was in- 

 clined to unite it with roseana, and another doubted its distinctness from ruficiliana, 

 of which two species the food plants do not grow in the woods where suhroseana 

 is found. 



I shall therefore feel much obliged if any one who has taken suhroseana among 

 heath will kindly send some notice of its habits either to me or to the Magazine, 

 and still more so if he will kindly favour me with one or more specimeus for 

 comparison. ^Chas. G. Bahrett, Haslemere, 25th January, 1868. 



Nyssia hispidaria at Manchester. — Some ova I had of this species hatched on 

 the 29th April last year. The larvae fed up rapidly on oak, all having changed to 

 pupss by the 27th of May ; the imagos appeared from the 14th February to the 4th 

 of the present month, and are very fine specimens. — C. Campbell, 14, Blackburn 

 Street, Hulme, Manchester, 11th March, 1868. 



Ohservations on the British species of Heterothops. — This genus (the members 

 of which can be at once distinguished from those of Quedius or Philonthus by the 

 subulate apical joints of their palpi) contains four European species {H. pravius, 

 Er., hinotatus, Steph., dissimilis, Grav., and quadripunctulus, Grav.), superficially 

 resembling certain small Quedii, and not exceeding 2^ lin. in length. These four 

 species are recorded as inhabiting this country, but seem for the most part to be of 

 considerable rarity, and not easily distinguishable inter se by beginners ; on which 

 account I propose to give short characters for the insects which I refer to them. 



* Commonly known wt S. alveolus. — Eds. 



