i 



TRIFID.-E. 339 



wrote of this species : " Only a single British specimen is 

 known; it is in the collection of the late Mr. George 

 Robertson, of Limehouse." This statement, however, seems 

 open to doubt, since Mr. Robertson's collection, still iu excel- 

 lent order, is in the possession of his family at Liverpool, and 

 no specimen of the present species can be found therein. 

 For another, said to have been taken in the Isle of Arran, 

 there appears to be no better evidence. But in November 

 1858 Mr. A. F. Sealey, of Cambridge, recorded the capture, 

 by himself, of two specimens " in the South of England," and 

 of one more by Mr. W. Farren. This statement is practically 

 confirmed by the late Mr. W. Farren himself, who wrote in 

 1885: "In September 1858, in company with Mr. A. F. 

 Sealey, I took two specimens in the South of England ; one 

 of these was in Mr. Sealey's collection, the other went to 

 that of Mr. Frederick Bond. The next year I took three 

 more in the same locality. One I gave to my friend, Alfred 

 Fryer, which I believe is still in his cabinet. I forget where 

 the other two went to, but I think one went to the Rev. H. 

 Burney." At the same time, Mr. J. W. Dunning put it upon 

 record that he was one of those who joined in sending Mr. 

 Farren on this collecting expedition, and that he still pos- 

 sessed one specimen of the present species, in poor condition. 

 These appear to be all the published records of the species 

 in this country. The place of capture seems to have been 

 sedulously concealed \yj the captors, but by others has been 

 variously stated as the Isle of Wight and the Isle of Port- 

 land, and common report says that the specimens were taken 

 at a lighthouse. The most probable explanation is that a 

 very slight migration of the species took place about that 

 time, bringing a few specimens to our extreme southern 

 shores, where the species did not succeed in establishing 

 itself. It is said to be found in the neighbourhood of Paris 

 upon elm-trunks, but it is far more likely to hide among 

 grass. Its range abroad seems to be small — France, Dal- 

 matia and Asia Minor. 



