166 OBSERTATIOXS ON TINEIXA. 



* ^'othrU Denectivella, HeTnchSchaSeT. I learnt from 

 Herr Miihlig of Frankfort, that the larva of this species feeds 

 on clover and is blacker than the larva of Durdha melius, 

 ■which it otherwise considerably resembles. 



Tinagma Besplenddlum, Stainton (Ins. Brit. Lep. Tm. 

 p. 179). On the 15th and 25th of July, I collected the 

 larvae of this species at Reigate, and more thorouohly ascer- 

 tained the mode of finding it, than I had previously suc- 

 ceeded in doin^. The larva commences its mine whilst the 

 alder leaf is quite small, and as the alder leaf grows it gets a 

 twist from the operations of the larva, so that by searching 

 for the alder leaves that are rather crooked, and especially by 

 looking to the penultimate, or ante-penultimate leaves of the 

 alder twigs, we may collect these larvae in any quantity. It 

 is impossible to look amongst alder bushes without seeing 

 the indications of this species, which is still in very few col- 

 lections. Mr. Barrett, to whom I had shown my mined 

 leaves on the 5th of August, collected these larvae near 

 Haslemere the middle of that month, and having kept them 

 in a warm room, he bred a specimen of the perfect insect 

 towards the end of October. I believe this is only the second 

 specimen that has been bred. At Stettin, at the end of 

 September, I met with several feeding larvae, so that it seems 

 to keep out a long while. The singular thing is, that whilst 

 the rare Resphnddlum is so excessively abundant in the 

 larva state, of the common Serkiellum we do not even know 

 the larva ; yet one cannot help thinking that it must feed on 

 oak, and one would suspect its habits should be similar to 

 those of Resplendellum. Professor Frey, whom I had the 

 pleasure of meeting this year at Frankfort, assured me that 

 he once found an oak leaf, with an oval hole cut out near the 

 midrib ; this should have been the work of Tinagma Seri- 

 ciellum. 



