
THE GALLS OF A PLANT NEAR TO MONTE VIDEO. 313 
Ceciposes EREMITA. 
Cec. cinereus ; alis anticis saturate brunneo maculatis, dense ciliatis ; posticis albidis. 
Hab. prope Monte Video, Pupa in gallis Celastri ? abscondita. 
From the stoutness of the body I am inclined to think that this moth is one of the 
Tortricide, but it may perhaps belong to the family of Pyralide or to that of Crambide ; 
if so, however, one would expect to find the palpi more strongly developed, but I have 
not been able to discover either them or the maaille. Although not analogous in its 
ceconomy, it may be here remarked that the maggot so often met with in apples is 
one of the Tortricide!, and that there are many of the Tineide? that feed only on the 
parenchyma of plants. 
The recorded instance of a similar occurrence to which I have referred above is that 
of an insect described and figured by Reaumur?, which evidently belongs to the same 
group as the Cec. Eremita. This may be regarded as a most interesting coincidence, 
because Reaumur’s insect was a native of the Isle of Cyprus. It differs, however, from 
the South American one in some material points, which I shall briefly notice. 
Reaumur’s insect formed galls, on what he terms a species of Limoniwm, about the 
size of those of Cec. Eremita; but although they have a sort of little head or crown 
opposite to the stalk, no mention is made of an operculum. In his Figure 1. a circular 
space is marked, and there is either a small excrescence in the centre, or the pupa is 
represented sticking out. This acute observer never saw the caterpillar alive, but he 
has no doubt of its piercing the gall to allow of the subsequent escape of the moth. 
The caterpillars spin a cocoon of white and shining silk, which occupied the inside of 
the galls, and formed a beak that entered the outlet. It appears to be a larger insect 
than ours ; and it is worthy of remark, that in more than three fourths of the galls silk 
was discovered, formed by the larve of other insects which had devoured the cater- 
pillars of the moth. 
This circumstance gives rise to another question, namely, Are the insects of temperate 
climates more subject to the attacks of parasites than those inhabiting more tropical 
regions ; or were the Oriental galls so frequently infested owing to the pupe being only 
protected by a cocoon at the outlet, rendering the ingress of parasitic insects more easy 
than in the others, which were completely inclosed and protected by the gall? This, 
however, not forming a part of our present inquiry, may be deferred for future dis- 
cussion. I shall therefore only add, that I found nothing but perfect chrysalides in all 
the galls that [had an opportunity of examining, which amounted to six or seven, from 
the liberality with which I was supplied with additional specimens by A. B. Lambert, 
Esq., during my investigations. 
' Tinea Pomonella, Linn. 2 Gracillaria anastomosis, (Curt., Brit. Ent., vol. x. pl. 479,) &c. 
* Mém. pour servir a l’Hist. des Ins., tom. iii. p. 448. pl. 39. f. 1-4. 
