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  XII. 
  Contributions 
  towards 
  the 
  Natural 
  History 
  of 
  British 
  

   MicrolejDidoptera. 
  By 
  J. 
  W. 
  Douglas, 
  Esq. 
  

  

  [Read 
  5th 
  July, 
  1852.] 
  

  

  Under 
  this 
  title 
  I 
  propose 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  descriptive 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   early 
  state 
  of 
  our 
  native 
  Tineidce 
  as 
  the 
  particulars 
  may 
  from 
  time 
  

   to 
  time 
  be 
  discovered, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  illustrative 
  figures 
  from 
  

   the 
  pencil 
  of 
  Mr. 
  William 
  Wing. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  labour 
  is 
  considered, 
  with 
  respect 
  

   to 
  the 
  natural 
  history 
  and 
  determination 
  of 
  species, 
  the 
  facility 
  of 
  

   acquiring 
  rare 
  species 
  by 
  a 
  knowledge 
  of 
  their 
  habits 
  and 
  food 
  as 
  

   larvae, 
  and 
  also 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  wide 
  field 
  there 
  is 
  for 
  re- 
  

   search, 
  I 
  trust 
  I 
  may 
  be 
  pardoned 
  for 
  entering 
  on 
  such 
  an 
  extensive 
  

   arena, 
  and 
  for 
  requesting, 
  as 
  I 
  now 
  do, 
  to 
  be 
  furnished 
  with 
  ex- 
  

   amples 
  of 
  such 
  larvae 
  as 
  may 
  occur 
  to 
  collectors. 
  I 
  am 
  also 
  not 
  

   without 
  hope, 
  that 
  seeing 
  how 
  much 
  light 
  is 
  thrown 
  upon 
  the 
  

   species 
  of 
  our 
  smaller 
  moths 
  by 
  such 
  investigations 
  as 
  these, 
  our 
  

   collectors 
  will 
  direct 
  more 
  attention 
  to 
  larvae 
  than 
  they 
  have 
  hitherto 
  

   done, 
  and 
  rival 
  our 
  brethren 
  of 
  France 
  and 
  Germany. 
  

  

  While 
  it 
  will 
  thus 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  elucidation 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  

   history 
  of 
  species 
  is 
  the 
  intention 
  of 
  these 
  memoirs, 
  it 
  may 
  also 
  

   probably 
  happen, 
  although 
  I 
  see 
  no 
  reason 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  first 
  place 
  

   to 
  characters 
  derived 
  from 
  larvae, 
  that 
  some 
  assistance 
  may 
  be 
  

   derived 
  therefrom 
  towards 
  deciding 
  difficult 
  points 
  in 
  the 
  generic 
  

   association 
  of 
  species. 
  

  

  Genus 
  Gelechia, 
  Zeller. 
  

  

  At 
  a 
  cursory 
  glance 
  the 
  three 
  species, 
  Gelechia 
  contigua, 
  hlan- 
  

   della, 
  and 
  fraternella, 
  might 
  easily 
  be 
  taken 
  for 
  varieties 
  of 
  one 
  : 
  

   the 
  difference 
  between 
  contigua 
  and 
  blandella 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  

   one 
  of 
  colour 
  than 
  of 
  marking, 
  and 
  fraternella 
  comes 
  so 
  near 
  to 
  

   contigua 
  that 
  at 
  first 
  it 
  was 
  placed 
  as 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  it. 
  That 
  these 
  

   are 
  three 
  good 
  and 
  distinct 
  species 
  will 
  now 
  be 
  satisfactorily 
  

   shown, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  hoped 
  that 
  no 
  long 
  period 
  may 
  elapse 
  before 
  the 
  

   distinctness 
  of 
  G. 
  marmorea, 
  junctella, 
  maculiferella, 
  and 
  Hilbneri, 
  

   species 
  also 
  very 
  similar 
  to 
  each 
  other, 
  may 
  be 
  as 
  decidedly 
  made 
  

   out 
  by 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  earlier 
  states 
  of 
  each. 
  

  

  If 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  March 
  we 
  walk 
  by 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  hedge 
  where 
  

   Stellaria 
  holostea 
  grows, 
  we 
  may 
  observe 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  terminal 
  

   shoots 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  are 
  drawn 
  up 
  and 
  frequently 
  discoloured 
  ; 
  if 
  

   we 
  investigate 
  more 
  closely 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  these 
  appearances, 
  we 
  

   shall 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  leaves 
  are 
  drawn 
  together 
  by 
  a 
  small 
  whitish- 
  

  

  