a 
whose larve are external feeders. 337 
of Micropterye were being recorded in the ‘¢ Annuals,” 
I was much impressed with the resistance of the Hrioce- 
phalide to investigation; but looking, as I then did, 
on the Tineina generally as subjects fit only for the work 
of past masters, I had little idea that they would con- 
tinue this resistance for so many years, and that it would 
be left for me to make the first impression against it. 
It was evident, on comparing the structure of calthella 
with that of purpurella, or other Micropterye—as indeed 
it was to a great extent without that knowledge—that 
the habits of Hriocephala must be very different from 
those of Micropteryw. 
I believe my observations have been made on both 
calthella and seppeila, and I have not always been very 
careful to determine which species I had in hand, and 
may have had others. But in the observations I have 
made I have not determined that any decisive differences 
were observable. 
In calthella, then, the ovipositor is quite short, simple, 
and tubular; no knives, or rods, or other complex appa- 
ratus, as in purpurella. The egg, therefore, must be 
laid in a very easy, simple way. This is confirmed by 
noticing that the egg is large and spherical, not, there- 
fore, to be slipped into any narrow chink or crevice. It 
seemed also certain that it was not laid on the leaves 
of any plant, so I assumed it must be laid in moss or 
rubbish, on the ground. By providing a number of 
moths with such materials in May, 1891, I succeeded in 
obtaining a large number of eggs, and in hatching the 
young larve; but I altogether failed to induce them to 
eat. The egg and young larve are, however, so very 
remarkable—so unlike all our ideas of a Lepidopterous 
insect—that even so meagre a measure of success was 
worthy of note. I delayed doing more than mention the» 
result for two reasons. Firstly, because one of our lead- 
ing—perhaps I ought to say our leading lepidopterist— 
was pleased to suggest that the beast I had under 
observation was an Julus, or a Crustacean, or some un- 
known monster, and that repetition was very desirable, 
with many precautions, to make sure I had Micropteryz, 
i.e. Hriocephala, and nothing else. This advice I was 
very willing to follow, because not only was it obviously 
a great compliment to the extraordinary nature of the 
observation, but as a second reason for delay I hoped to 
