THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 563 



Dianthoecia compta (Entora. vi. 518, 546). — Havvorth 

 erroneously considered Dianthcecia conspersa to be the 

 Compta of continental authors, and he was the first person 

 who introduced the name into our list. Mr. Gregson asks if 

 the true Compta is really British. I may say in reply that I 

 have never seen a British specimen ; examples probably 

 existed in some of the old cabinets, as the dealers of that 

 time were not more scrupulous than some of those of the 

 present day, and many continental and also American speci- 

 mens were sold as British. Nearly thirty years ago the late 

 Richard Weaver bred a number of specimens of D. conspersa 

 from larvae which he found in Ireland on Silene maritima ; 

 several of these strongly resembled Compta. I sent one or 

 two of them to my friend M. Guenee, who said that at first 

 sight they might easily be mistaken for this species. Mr. 

 Meek did not show me one of his Irish captures, and 

 therefore I cannot say to which species they belonged. 

 I have seen some reputed British specimens of Compta (two 

 of which were sent to me for examination by the Rev. Henry 

 Burney), but they were most certainly continental specimens, 

 which had been relaxed and re-set. The larva of Compta is 

 very different from that of Conspersa, and feeds upon various 

 species of pinks (Dianthus) : it is common on the garden 

 pinks in the neighbourhood of Paris. I do not think it has 

 ever been found upon any species of Silene, and I am not 

 aware that any of the Dianthi grow upon the coast of Ireland. 

 Having had the opportunity of examining a considerable 

 number of specimens of some of our rarer Lepidoptera which 

 had been sold as British, nearly all of which proved to be 

 re-set continental specimens, I unhesitatingly say that I 

 believe a very large majority of the specimens of Daplidice, 

 Lathonia, Leucophaea, Albipuncta, Nigrocincta, Purpuraria, 

 and many others, which now exist in collections of professedly 

 British Lepidoptera, are in reality continental : they can be 

 purchased at from threepence to sixpence each ; and so long 

 as collectors will give as many pounds for them as they cost 

 pence, I am afraid there is no probability of a stop being put 

 to these disreputable proceedings. It is now almost impos- 

 sible to say what insects are really British, as living pupae of 

 various species are regularly obtained from France and 

 Germany ; and the fact of an insect being exhibited alive is 



