48 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



the ' Manual,' but precisely resembled those of complanula. Except that 

 the broad orange-coloured lateral stripe was interrupted by the ground 

 colour, giving it the appearance of a row of large orange spots." This 

 passage was written in 1860, and as the writer, Dr, AUchin, then a well- 

 known lepidopterist, on the same page states that he also bred tliree 

 lurideola (complatwla), it is probable that he was correct in his species. L. 

 coinplaiia is, certainly, both a coast and inland species. The first specimen 

 I ever took was from the New Forest ; it flew up at my feet from amongst 

 heath, quite half a mile from any trees. For the past few years I have 

 found it fairly abundant on the heaths in this neighbourhood, in most cases 

 quite away from any trees that had any lichen upon them. Now the 

 heaths about here are very thickly carpeted with lichens, which in places 

 almost smothers the growth of Calluita, Erica, &c., and this peculiarity 

 appears also to those in the New Forest. I have not the slightest doubt 

 but, that in the above localities, the usual food-plant is one or more of these 

 ground-lichens. During August, 1887, I found this species commonly on 

 the sand-hills near Shoeburyness, in Essex (Entom. xx. '^21). At the 

 time I did not look for a probable food-plant, but on a subsequent visit 

 during Septoml)er this year (whilst on a successful hunt for larvae of 

 Veilephila galil) I found • the ground on which I had captured the speci- 

 mens of complana thickly carpeted with moss. This I should consider to 

 be, in this locality, its probable food-plant. I have never worked the Deal 

 sand-hills at the time when the species would be flying, but possibly the 

 spot resembles that of Shoeburyness in this particular. I quite agree 

 with Mr. Tutt that species of this family, in some instances, are able to 

 exist upon other food than lichens. I have seen females of L. pygmeola in 

 abundance in spots where no lichen, moss, or in fact anything other than 

 marram grass and sand occurred. — W. G. Sheldon ; Rose Cottage, Oval 

 Road, Addiscombe, January 7th, 1889. 



[1 have found Lithosia caniola feeding upon Lotus coriiicidatus, at 

 Howth, in Ireland. — John T. Caruington]. 



Tephrosia crkpltscularia : CoRREcriox. — Mr. Adkin's note on the 

 " Influence of Meteorological conditions upon Insect Life " (Entom. 7) has 

 called my attention to an error which has crept into the few remarks which 

 1 recently made upon the subject (Entom. xxi. 283). The date there given 

 for uiy capture of Tephrosia crepuscularia should have been May 5th, not 

 July 5th. — Geo. C. Griffiths; 1, Hale Bank, St. Matthew's Road, 

 Gotham, Bristol, January 7, 1889. 



Agrotis cortigea, Melanic VARIETY OF. — With reference to Mr. 

 Tutt's remarks at p 15, ante, 1 beg to call attention to p. xxxii. of the 

 ' Proceedings ' of the meeting of the Entomological Society of London, on 

 October ord, 1888, which Mr. Tutt appears to have overlooked. It is 

 there stated that "Mr. H. Goss exhibited, for Mr. W. J. Cross, an 

 extraordinary melanic variety of a species of Ayrotis — believed to be either 

 segetum or corticea — caught by the latter near Ely, in July last." Mr. 

 Tutt may probably be right in his determination of the species to which 

 the variety in question belongs; but his opinion differs from that expressed 

 by Mr. Jenner Weir and Mr. W. Warren. I believe it was correct to apply 

 the term " extraordinary " to the variety in question, which is not a 

 constant variety of general distribution nor a local form ; but it is probable 



