222 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



from the crests of overhanging banks in Altyre Woods, Forres, 

 and elsewhere in the vicinity ; also common at light in Allendale, 

 S.W. Northumberland. 



Giiojjhos obscuraria, Hb. Dark, badly characterised forms 

 are common along the coast of Fifeshire, between Kirkcaldy 

 and Burntisland, wherever Helianthemum grows freely. 



G. ohfuscaria, Hb. Can be startled by day from rabbit holes 

 amongst the Erica cinerea at Findhorn, or netted at the period 

 of natural flight later. 



Lycia hirtaria, CI. This favourite of mine can be beaten 

 freely from birch as full-grown larvae in August at Forres. 

 From these imagines precisely the same as type forms from 

 Central Europe will be bred in the three succeeding years. 

 What I breed from London ova cannot be distinguished in many 

 cases from those I reared from authentic ova and pupre of the 

 alleged variety hanoviensis (Hey.) from Germany ; of the value 

 of this form I have great doubts. 



Zoological Department, 



Armstrong College, 

 Newcastle-on-Tyne. 



MYRMECOZELA OCHR ACE ELLA, TGST., AT 

 EANNOCH. 



By the PiEV. John W. Metcalfe. 



Whilst spending a month at Eannoch, in company with 

 Mr. F. G. Whittle, we were both very anxious to obtain speci- 

 mens of one of the special insects to be found in that famous 

 locality, viz. Myrinecozela ochraceeUa. As is well known, this 

 strange moth inhabits the nests of Formica rii/a — an apparently 

 welcome guest. The larva lives in long galleries within the 

 nest, and the imago seems equally at home both within the nest 

 and on its surface, suffering no harm from the swarms of ants. 

 Certainly on two occasions we did observe a M. ochraceeUa 

 being carried away by an ant in a moribund condition, but these 

 may have been specimens injured by agents other than the ants, 

 and which the latter considered to be fair meat for the larder. 

 At any rate, these were the only two exceptions to the rule of 

 amity we noted, and we will hope that no ant so far forgot 

 herself as to attack a guest that had been received into the home, 

 or more probably had been reared therein. 



But this is to forestall matters. During the end of June and 

 early July, at different hours of the day, and by every possible 

 means, we searched a large number of nests with but poor 

 success. Not more than half a dozen specimens were captured, 

 and these for the most part not in or on the nests, but knocked 

 out of the surrounding herbage. We were beginning to think 

 the effort hardly worth the labour, when, returning one evening 



