THE MONGREL-HYBRID THEORY. 253 



having thus quickly encircled themselves. I had only an hour 

 to spare after a long and hot day's work, but was fortunate 

 enough to find other species of Nepticula, one being in leaves 

 of the species of Potentilla which Pcronea aspersana rolls up 

 when in the larval state ; another was in leaves of the lesser 

 burnet {Poterium sanguisorba), which should be N. poterii. The 

 other was N. cryptella, in the leaves of Lotus corniculatus ; this 

 I recognised, having seen it before near Darlington. 



Everything was scorched with the great heat, but in the 

 thickets was Solomon's-seal, a variety of plants somewhat 

 strange to me. There was a bramble, which I make out to be 

 Ruhus saxatilis, containing Nepticula mines, but I only got one 

 larva, which I fear is dead. I hope to visit the locality next 

 season, and work up these interesting species. 



Another instance of bramble mining occurred to me at Port 

 Erin, in the Isle of Man, where the leaves were chequered by 

 Nepticula mines, but whether of N. aurella or not time will tell, 

 though the mines are broad enough for another species. 



On Sept. 13th I met with N. myrtillella among a very few 

 examples of its food-plant, there being two or three mines in a 

 leaf. Of N. alnetella or glutinoscB, fair numbers occurred on the 

 alder leaves, but, as usual, this season great quantities were dead 

 in the mines, killed by the extreme heat. There was in the 

 leaf a large mine, broad as that of N. aurella, the larvae in 

 them being yellow. N. ignohilella was in hawthorn leaves, and 

 N. angulifasciella was abundant on the roses ; I never noticed 

 before that it has a row of spots distinctly shown down the 

 back. N. maryinicolella occurred on elm ; N. scptemhrella in 

 leaves of Hypericum; and on sallow were either A'^. salicis or 

 N. intimclla, I cannot decide which from the mines ; N. ceneo- 

 fasciella on agrimony. 



Ellerslie, Ashton-on-Kibble, Preston, Lancashire, Sejjt. 14, 1887. 



THE MONGREL-HYBRID THEORY. 



By Charles A. Briggs, F.E.S. 



It is much to be regretted that Mr. South has tried to 

 import Polyommatus p)hlceas and Thecla rubi into a discussion 

 that already was sufficiently ample in its scope. He tells us 



