246 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 



in hedges, uniting several leaves together, and several 

 of the larvae living in company they discolour the leaves 

 by eating half the thickness, so that the bundle of 

 yellowish-green leaves fastened together, when all the 

 other oak leaves are of a fresh green, readily attracts 

 our attention ; hence the species is collected with great 

 ease in the larva state. (The habits of the larvae of the 

 two allied species, A. tumidella and A. rubro-tibiella, 

 are, I believe, precisely similar.) 



The perfect insect appears in July and August, 

 and may occasionally be beaten from oak-bushes, or 

 observed at rest on palings ; like most of this family of 

 the " Knot-horns " it comes rather freely to light. 



FAMILY XV. PHYCID^E. 

 CRYPTOBLABES BISTRIGA. 



(Plate XIII., Fig. 2.) 



This rather obscure-looking species has not been 

 observed in many localities. I have repeatedly taken 

 it at Lewisham, and once beat more than half-a-dozen 

 specimens from a low hedge, principally composed of 

 oak ; it has been noticed in the New Forest, near 

 Lyndhurst, and also near Bristol ; northwards it has 

 occurred near Manchester and Chesterfield. 



The expansion of the wings is very nearly f inch. 

 The fore-wings are dull reddish-grey, with scarcely any 

 perceptible markings except two transverse pale (almost 

 whitish) streaks, one obliquely placed, not far from the 

 base, the other towards the hind margin, and nearly 

 parallel to it. 



The larva was found by Herr von Hornig, of Vienna, 

 feeding on alder ; but I strongly suspect that it also 



