242 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



up. The characters of the two insects are certainly mixed up 

 in the most marvellous manner in the references in the preceding sec- 

 tions, yet the British examples examined appear distinct enough as 

 imagines, as well as in their mines and cocoons. Long series of speci- 

 mens from Fragaria, Agrimonia, Geum, Rubus corylifolius and 72. caesiiis, 

 should be bred quite separately, and compared critically in every 

 stage ; only then can we pretend to know anything about them. 

 Roughly, the comparison of bred British specimens, from Fragaria 

 and Geum respectively, give distinct characters, but these distinc- 

 tions are often quite at variance with the observations recorded 

 by Continental authors, e.g., our experience agrees absolutely with 

 that of Eppelsheim, recorded ante, p. 234, so far as relates to nos. 1, 

 4, 5 and 6 ; the characters, however, are reversed in no. 2, and do not 

 agree in the first part of no. 3. Thus : 



X. fraganella (bred by Wood) has very bright orange head in both 

 sexes, anal segment with greyish tufts, fore-wings 4 mm. in expanse, 

 basal area of fore-wings bright brassy, quter two-thirds of fore-wings 

 purple-brown, the transverse fascia distinctly silvery. Cocoon bright 

 yellow-ochreous. 



N. gei (bred by Fletcher) has bright golden head in $ , orange- 

 fuscous (sometimes of a very dark tint) in $ , anal segment with 

 yellowish tufts, fore-wings 6 mm. in expanse, basal area of fore-wings 

 golden- or bronzy-purple, outer two-thirds dark purple (almost blue- 

 black), the transverse fascia distinctly golden. Cocoon greenish-drab. 



NEPTICULA AUROMAKGINELLA, Richardson. 



SYNONOMY. Species: Auromarginella, Rich., "Ent. Mo. Mag.," xxvi., pp. 30-31 

 (1890) ; " Proc. Dors. N. H. Soc.," xi., p. 74, fig. 10 (1891) ; Meyr., " Handbook," 

 etc., p. 717 (1895). 



ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION. Exp. al. 2J-2f lines. Fore-wings greenish- 

 bronze, becoming darker and more violet on the basal side of a some- 

 what broad, nearly straight, pale golden fascia, which crosses the 

 wing a little beyond the middle ; on the extreme hind margin is a 

 similar narrower, crescent-shaped, pale golden fascia ; the space be- 

 tween the fasciae is dark violet, the whole of the wing being beautifully 

 metallic. Hind-wings and fringes grey, with a bronzy gloss. Head 

 ferruginous ; eye-caps cream-coloured or pale ochreous ; thorax like 

 the basal half of the fore-wing ; antennae, body and legs darker, the 

 legs with light rings (Richardson, Ent. Mo. May., vol. xxvi., p. 31). 



IMAGO. Head ferruginous. Anterior wings 5-G mm. ; greenish- 

 bronze, tinged with violet basally ; a broad, nearly straight, pale 

 golden fascia beyond the middle ; a second, narrow pale golden fascia 

 on the hind margin. Posterior wings and fringes bronzy-grey. 



COMPARISON OF N. AUROMARGINELLA WITH N. AURELLA. The imagines 

 of N. auromarginella , though somewhat resembling those of N. aurella, 

 have, besides the usual golden fascia, a second one of the same colour, 

 situated on the hind-margin of the fore-wing. They are also 

 smaller, and their basal portion is not brown, as in N. aurella, but 

 rather bronze-green (Richardson). The Nepticula from the bramble, 

 with a gold line on the hind-margin, is quite new to me. I have seen 

 many N. aurella, both British and German, but I never saw anything 

 like these (Stainton). 



LARVA. Not differentiated from that of X. aurdla, or other bramble 



