42 tineid.t;. 



slightly posterior ; cilia chirk purplish-i'iiscous, the tips at the ape\ 

 whitisli. Postc^rior wings pale grey, with a slight purplish tinge; cilia 

 pale grey. 



Common among- currant-bushes at the end of May. The. larva 

 is very injurious^ eating the pith of the young shoots, and betrays 

 its presence by the withering of the young leaves ; wlien cpiitc 

 young it is dark red, but when fall-fed it is greenisli-white. 



Genus XI. MICROPTER^X. W- H - 4 



MiCROPTERYX, Zell. !sis, 1830. p. 18.5 ; Diip. Cat. — Microptcrix, liiih. 

 — Eriocepludd, Curt. — Tinea })., Haw. — Adchi p., Treit. ; Duji. L. F. 

 xi. ; Zett. — Lamj)ro)iia p., Step. 



Caput sujierue hirsufuui, orbilis sitpcrioribus htU nndis. Ocdli dhfhicli, 

 ab oculis distautcs. Palj)i niaxillarcs 6-articulati, plicati. Palpi 

 labiates breves, cyliudriei, pilosi. Antenna; alis anterioribus brevi- 

 ores. Plaustellum breve. Ala^ anteriores oblongo-ovatfie ; vena sub- 

 eostalis ramos 4 in costam einittit. Posteriores ovata;, piloso-scpui- 

 niata;, ciliis mediocribus. 



Head above clothed with long hairs, « broad space above each cije 

 naked. Ocelli distinct, rather remote from the eyes. IMaxillary palpi 

 six-jointed, folded. Laljial palpi short, cylindrical, hairy. Autenua; 

 shorter than the anterior wings (in some of the species much shorter). 

 Tongue short. Anterior wings oblong-ovate, glossy and rather trans- 

 parent. Posterior wings ovate, rather transparent, clothctl with long 

 liair-formed scales, with moderate cilia. 



The perfect insects lly in the sunshine; the smaller species 

 among llowers in June ; the larger species among birches, etc., in 

 April and May. None of them appear to be double-brooded. 

 The larv?e are still entirely nnhiovn to us : this is the more un- 

 fortunate, as some of the species arc so very similar in markings 

 and habits, that till we ascertain their transformations we cannot 

 feel conjidcnt of llieir distinctness. 



The British species may be arranged in the following table : — 



a. Small species. 



b. Head ferruginous. 



c. Anterior wings unicolorous in hotli sexes. S[)ccics 1. 



c c. Auterior wings of the c^ with silvery fasei;e. Species 2, ?>. 



b h. Head black. S|)ecies 4. 

 a a. S))ecies of intermediate si/e. Head fi'rrnginous. Species .5, (J. 

 a (( a. Species of larger size. 



d. Head dark fuscous. Species 7, 10. 



d (t. Head eiucrenus. Species S, i), 11 , 12. 



1. Calthella, Lin. F. S. 1432(17(51); Fah. ; W. V.; Sehr.; lluw.; 



