Tinea pallescentella, Stainton ( = nigrifoldena, Qregson)^ 

 Some notes on its life-history and its history. 



By Robert Adkin, F.E.S. Read March ISth, 1913. 



Some twenty years ago, as I was passing along Cannon Street in 

 ythe Cit of London one morning, I espied a tineid moth resting on 

 the window frame of one of the houses, and, fortunately having a 

 pill box in my pocket, promptly captured it ; the moth on subsequent 

 examination proved to be Tinea pnllescentella, and this was my first 

 acquaintance with the species. From that time until August 28th, 

 1902, I saw nothing more of the insects ; then T took a single 

 specimen in my house at Lewisham. Again there followed a gap 

 of some years without it being noticed, but on June 26th, 1908, I 

 met with it, this time flying in my study in the evening, and on 

 November 6th, 1909, and Aug\;st 17th, and December 25th, 1911, 

 I again met with it under exactly similar circumstances. A speci- 

 men was also taken in my dining room during the Entomological 

 Club supper on March 12th, 1912, while in the meantime I had 

 also taken a specimen in the room of a house at Eastbourne where 

 I was staying, on October 5th, 1910.^ 



Towards the end of November last my friend and fellow member, 

 Mr. Noel S. Sennetfc, gave me a handful of " hare's hair," in which 

 several Tineid larvae were feeding. This I placed in a large glass 

 jar, so that the larvas might be under observation, and in the result 

 I reared, between the 7th and 24th of January, eight specimens of 

 Tinea pallescentella. Before going further I should explain that 

 " hare's hair " is the fur cut from hare's skins. I am informed 

 that, on the skins being received from poulterers and the like by the 

 furriers they go through several processes, in the course of which 

 they are brushed with a solution of mercury and nitric acid ; the 

 fur is then cut from the skins, packed into bags and stored away 

 until such time as it may be sold, and is ultimately used in the 

 manufacture of felt hats and for some other purposes. The 

 particular consignment of which I received a portion came direct 

 from Brandon in Suffolk, a country town at some distance from 

 any sea-port and the hair appears to have been obtained from 

 English hares, produced in the district. From its matted condition 



1 Since writing the above anotiaer specimen was taken in my house at 

 Lewisham ; it was running about on the lavatory wall at 10 p.m., on April 2nd, 

 1913. 



