IN ITALY AND SICILY IN 1844. 3 



sunny, dry, grassy place, amongst Erica arborea, from which. I 

 frequently beat it out late in the afternoon. Amongst the nume- 

 rous specimens, I only took two females ; hence they must rest much 

 more concealed and be reluctant to fly. I saw a few specimens 

 at Syracuse at the end of April. 



Micropteryx caUhella, L. Abundant near Syracuse on the 23rd of 

 April in a moist meadow, on the flowers of Ranunculus (acris ?). 



M. sicanella, n. sp. [Described, see p. 19; afterwards recognized as 

 Paykullella, Fabricius, see ' Linnaea Entomologica,' vol. v. p. 329.] 

 This species is not scarce all around Messina in the latter half of 

 March and beginning of April, in some places abundant. I first 

 found it on the 18th of March in the Peloro Mountains in the deep 

 valley above Cascatelli ; it was swarming in the sunshine on Eu- 

 phorbia characias, then in blossom ; it sat generally on the leaves, 

 more rarely in the flowers, where, on account of the large involucre, 

 it was not easy to catch it. When I had ascended some hundreds 

 of feet higher, I found it on a sunny slope not scarce on the 

 flowers of Erica arborea, and in one luxuriantly weedy place it 

 was swarming in the grass. It has quite the habit of aruncella. 

 In dull weather I beat it rather freely at this place from the heath- 

 blossoms into my net, and then secured it in the forceps. At 

 another spot it was flying amongst CoroniUa emerus and bramble 

 bushes. 



M. fastuosetta, Z, A single male beaten from an oak bush on the 

 slope of a mountain near Messina, on the 2nd of April. It is 

 a small specimen, but certainly referable to this species. There 

 were no sloe-bushes near. As this species also occurs in Livonia, 

 it has a very wide range. 



Nematopogon sericinellus, n. sp. [Described, see p. 20.] In April 

 around Messina; scarce on the mountains by the Palermitane 

 Strasse in the thickets of oaks mixed with Cytisus and Cistus. 



Adda viridella, Scop. Scarce near Messina on the eastern slope of 

 the Peloro Mountains along the Palermitane Strasse in mixed 

 thickets of Quercus pubescens at the end of March and in April. 

 In one mountain -ravine HerrNymann, a Swedish botanist, observed 

 a whole swarm hovering round and settling on blooming Euphor- 

 bia characias. I have never found Adela viridella on flowers ; 

 it always swarmed in fine weather rather high up on the twigs of 

 oaks. But that it was this species that Nymann saw is certain, 

 as he brought back a specimen. 



Nemotois Latreillellus, F. This pretty species is already on the wing 

 at Syracuse at the end of April (I even took a female on the 30th 

 April), but principally in May. Its favourite localities are grassy 

 and flowery sheltered meadows and mountain-slopes, whether 

 on dry or moist ground. It lives gregariously. In bright weather 

 it swarms on different flowers in the sunshine, being most partial 

 to those of Scabiosa columbaria ; in dull weather it sits on the 

 flowers, and is then very easily captured. As it does not conceal 

 itself, its beauty is soon damaged by the rain, and by the end of 



B 2 



