THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 235 



Willows and their Galls." This passage appears to refer to 

 our rose-gall: — "In the winter and spring the uppermost 

 shoots (of the great ronnd-leaved willow or palm) not unfre- 

 quently terminate in a tuft of withered leaves, in the form of 

 arose. If this be examined n;ore narrowly, the centre will 

 be found to consist of closely-fitting bracts, and in the midst 

 of them is a reddish-coloured grub. This is the pupa of a 

 gall-gnat (Cecidomyia rosaria). The insect that I have bred 

 does not correspond with that described by Mr. Walker in 

 the third volume of the ' Insecta Britannica,' which I believe 

 to be identical with that of Loew ; and the grubs that I 

 opened out of the galls were white. Mr. Walker promises to 

 investigate the matter. I notice, in the descriptions of the 

 species, that some are said to form " roseate-like galls," 

 others " rose-formed galls," &c. I therefore conclude that 

 the galls from Cambridge are probably the work of a differ- 

 ent species to those found by Mr. luchbald in Yorkshire. — 

 F. Smith; May 16. 



162. Species and Varieties. — [I have copied, with per- 

 mission, the following observations from a letter addressed 

 by H. von Heinemann to Mr. Doubleday, in reference to a 

 collection of Lepidoptera forwarded by the last-named Ento- 

 mologist. — E. iV.] — The series of Cidaria russata and imma- 

 nata are very beautiful and instructive, but 1 cannot find any 

 distinction between the perfect insects ; yet your remarks 

 upon the larvae, and the different custom of life which you 

 have given, make it appear that they are, without doubt, dif- 

 ferent species. I have always taken the larva of C. russata 

 in April and July, but have never found the larva of C. ira- 

 manata. Cidaria miata, L., is also different from C. psilta- 

 cata ; and I think you are correct in regarding Oporabia 

 filigrammaria and autumnaria as distinct from dilutata, and 

 Boarmia perfumaria as distinct from rhomboidaria. I also 

 consider Cerastis spadicea a good species : as for the colour 

 and markings of Cerastis Vaccinii they are very variable, and 

 I possess some specimens that are very like spadicea, but the 

 tip of the fore wings is usually more obtuse than in spadicea : 

 I have only bred Vaccinii from the egg, and have never ob- 

 tained a s])ecimen of spadicea. Your Eupithecia absynthiata 

 is surely diffei-ent from ours : it has all ihe wings darker and 

 more mixed with gray ; the spots on the costa are larger ; 



