38 



GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE GENUS COEEOPHORA. 



case, nearly 20 pages 4to. being 

 devoted to his observations on this 

 one species. Reaumur also mentions 

 that these insects occur not only on 

 trees and shrubs, but also on low 

 plants ; that one had been observed 

 on Lychnis, another on Eupatorium, 

 and that he had observed a species 

 attached to the seeds of Atriplex. 

 In his 5th " Memoire" he speaks of 

 another species of this genus (Sere- 

 nella), which feeds on the Astragalus, 

 and which forms a peculiar case, 

 which Reaumur designates " a fal- 

 balas;" 13 pages are then devoted 

 to the history of three species 

 (Anatipennella, Currucipennella and 

 Palliatella) which form their cases 

 of pure silk; though from the black 

 horny appearance of the cases one 

 would scarcely have suspected that 

 they were make of silk. Reaumur 

 has treated at the greatest length of 

 the proceedings of the larva of Pal- 

 liatella, on account of the singular 

 appendages which adorn the sides of 

 its case, and he has figured (plate 1 6, 

 figs. 10 and 11) the larva in the act 

 of adding additional scales to these 



In singular contrast to Reaumur's 

 fulness, De Geer does not appear to 

 have been acquainted with any of 

 these insects. 



Linnaeus, in his " Fauna Suecica," 

 describes three species of this genus ; 

 a specimen of his Frischella is for- 

 tunately still extant in the Linnaean 



Limosipennella) et des habitudes 

 qu'elle presente dans la construction 

 de son fourreau : ses observations 

 seulement sur cette espece occupent 

 presque vingt pages in-4to. Reaumur 

 ajoute la remarque que ces insectes 

 ne se trouvent pas seulement sur les 

 arbres et les arbrisseaux, mais aussi 

 sur les plantes basses : qu'une espece 

 avaitete observee sur le Lychnis, une 

 autre sur 1'Eupatoire, et qu'il avait 

 observe qu'une autre encore affec- 

 tionna les graines de l'arroche. Dans 

 le cinquieme Memoire il parle d'une 

 autre espece de ce genre (Serenclla), 

 qui vit sur l'Astragale et qui forme 

 un fourreau bizarre que Reaumur 

 designa i( a falbalas ;" ensuite treize 

 pages sont consacrees a l'histoire de 

 trois especes {Anatipennella, Curru- 

 cipennella, et Palliatella) qui con- 

 struisent leurs fourreaux de pure 

 soie ; quoiqu'a leur aspect noir et 

 corne on aurait a peine soupconne" 

 que ces fourreaux etaient formes de 

 soie. Reaumur traite avec le plus 

 de detail de la Palliatella, a cause 

 des singuliers appendices lateraux de 

 son fourreau, et il a figure (Tab. 16, 

 fig. 10 et 11) la chenille au moment 

 ou elle s'occupe a filer des ecailles 

 additionnelles a ces appendices. 



En contraste surprenant avec 

 cette richesse chez Reaumur, De 

 Geer ne parait pas avoir eu con- 

 naissance des insectes appartenant 

 au genre Coleophora. 



Linne, dans sa " Fauna Suecica," 

 decrit trois especes de ce genre ; un 

 individu de sa Frischella se trouve 

 heureusement encore conserve dans 



