226 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



The following is a description of the larva, which feeds in a 

 pale yellowish brown case upon the leaves of Genista tinctoria in 

 May and June : — Length, 8 lines. First three or four segments 

 pale greenish, the remaining (those which are not extruded from 

 the case, and consequently unexposed to the light) of a dirty 

 yellow colour. Head dark brown ; 2nd segment with a large 

 black transverse oval plate, divided down the centre by a thin 

 longitudinal pale greenish line ; 3rd segment with a similar but 

 much smaller plate ; anal segment with a black plate ; 2nd, 3rd, 

 and 4th segments with small black spiracles. The dark pulsating 

 dorsal vessel is conspicuous. The segments enclosed within the 

 case are stouter than the first four segments. The larva lives in 

 a pale brown case formed of about six leaflets of Genista tinctoria, 

 and is constructed much in the same way as that of Coleophora 

 saturatella ; but is generally larger, looser, more straggling, and 

 less compact in appearance. It is to be found in May and June 

 making somewhat inconspicuous blotches in the leaves of Genista 

 tinctoria, the imagines appearing towards the end of June and 

 later. The earliest emergence I obtained was on the 24th of that 

 month. 



The only British species with which this could be confounded 

 is C. saturatella, Stn., to which it is very closely allied. But 

 tinctoriella may always be distinguished by its bright and 

 more ochreous appearance, and by the presence in greater or less 

 quantity of pale ochreous scales at the base of the wing on the 

 inner margin and on various parts of the thorax above. A 

 microscopic examination of many specimens shows saturatella 

 to be destitute of this pale ochreous pigment on any part of the 

 body or wings, which thus becomes a good distinguishing 

 character between the two species. I am unable to find any 

 marked difference between the larvge of these two insects, which 

 were bred side by side under similar conditions. The dark brown 

 case of saturatella from broom is easily distinguished from the 

 almost ochreous one of tinctoriella, the difference being of course 

 due to the different colours assumed by the leaves of their 

 respective food-plants in withering, the broom turning almost 

 black. C. saturatella appears to be a somewhat later insect than 

 C. tinctoriella, for the broom was quite leafless this spring at a 

 time when tinctoriella was almost full-fed. C. tinctoriella also was 

 the first to emerge. Mr. A. C. Vine, of Brighton (to whom we 



