THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



gives this insect the name of erminea, and states : — " Fig. 1, to 

 which I have given the name of erminea, appears to be the moth 

 which Linnaeus described, in his Syst. Nat., as lubricipeda, and 

 to that moth the name is affixed in his cabinet." And his reason 

 for changing the name seems to be that in the description of 

 lubricipeda in the Faun. Suec, second edition, are the words, 

 " mas alis flavescentibus ordine oblique transverso punctorum 

 nigrorum," which is a description of the male of our buff ermine, 

 a moth unnamed by Linnaeus. 



Mr. Leech, in a paper read before the Entomological Society 

 of London, December, 1898, and published in their volume of 

 ' Transactions ' for the year 1899, p. 150, names our white ermine 

 punctaria, with references to Mr. Kirby, Cat. Lep. Het. i. p. 227 

 (1892), and to Cramer, Pap. Exot. iv. p. 233, pi. cccxcviii. fig. D' 

 (1782), which name (Ray had named it punctata in 1710, see 

 ante) would have priority over Esper's name of menthastri given 

 in 1786. 



I think that the whole of these descriptions clearly show that 

 Mr. Kirby was quite correct in stating that the Phalana (Bombyx) 

 lubricipeda of Linnaeus is the white species now generally but 

 erroneously known as Spilosoma menthastri (Esper). 



For the references to Madame Merian, Fisch, Reaumur, 

 De Geer, and Geoffrey I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. 

 Louis B. Prout, who has consulted these authors, and has given 

 me the results of his investigations. 



A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE ON THE FOOD-PLANTS 

 OF ORIENTAL HEMIPTERA. 



By G. W. Kirkaldy. 



In the Hemiptera of the ' Fauna of British India ' (vols. 

 i.-iii.), Mr. Distant has overlooked some records of food-plants 

 made years ago by himself ! 



(1) Proc. E. S. London, 1879, p. 1 (with Moore) :— 



Halyo (!) dentata, Palomena viridissima, Piezoderus rubro- 

 fasciatus, Agonoscelis nubila, Lygceus militaris,* Graptostethus 

 servus. — All on Cucumerineae. 



Coptosoma cribraria on Lablab vulgaris. 



Bagrada picta, Pachymerus sordidus. — Both on Sinapis dicho- 

 toma. 



The names are as given by Distant and Moore. 



(2) Proc. E. S. London, 1878, p. lvii :— 

 Erthesina fullo is eaten by the Nagas. 



* Also destructive to Zea ma'is. — G. W. K. 



