72 CUtlRANT. 



piipa, and also the reasons (based on some peculiarities of habits and 

 structure) for which he thinks it would be desirable to change the 

 generic name from Incurvaria, to Lampronia. As, however, this change 

 has only at present been suggested, not adopted, I have retained the 

 name of Incurvaria, and refer the reader for full information to Dr. 

 Chapman's paper entitled Lamj^ronia capitella, at pp. 297 — 300, of the 

 No. of the ' Entomologist's Monthly Magazine' for Dec, 1892. 



From this, by kind permission of the writer, and also of the Editors 

 of the Magazine, I give the following extracts from the excellently 

 clear account of the method of infestation of the young Currant fruit, 

 and a portion of the description of the larva and pupa. Dr. Chapman 

 commenced the record of his own observations as follows : — 



** Certain moths which I reared from the larvae sent me, paired 

 readily in captivity, and supplying these with a spray of Red Currant, 

 with berries rather more than half-grown, I had the pleasure of seeing 

 the moth lay eggs in such Currants on several occasions. The moths 

 were then sleeved out on growing Currants, and here also they laid 

 eggs, though I did not see it done." Here Dr. Chapman notes that 

 the apparatus of the moth for penetrating the Currant is a very strong 

 and powerful instrument, and then describes the operation of egg- 

 laying. 



•' The moth sits upon the Currant, and penetrates it in the lateral 

 region ; on one occasion the process occupied three or four minutes, 

 on another only about thirty seconds. The dates were from 17th to 

 20th May. On examining one of these Currants, which was rather 

 more than half-grown, and with seeds still very soft, but about 1*75 

 mm. in diameter, two eggs of capitella were found lying free in the 

 ovarian cavity, in another the cavity contained two such pairs of 

 eggs." . . . "I have little doubt, however, that two eggs are laid 

 at each penetration." The eggs were nearly colourless, and somewhat 

 lemon-shaped, about 0*67 of a millimetre - in length, and 0-37 in 

 breadth. 



Continuing Dr. Chapman's account in abstract : no change was 

 noticeable in the Currants under observation until the last week in 

 June, when most of the Currants being still green, some among them 

 had the appearance of being nearly ripe, and these proved to be 

 infested by capitella. In some the caterpillar was still present, in 

 others it had escaped, and in two instances Dr. Chapman saw the 

 caterpillar in the act of escaping by boring through the juicy substance 

 of the Currant, and emerging a short way from the summit. '* The 

 food of the larva whilst in the Currant is the interior of one seed." 

 . . . " The buds and fruit spurs of the Currant have at their bases 



* A millimetre is one 25th part of an inch» — Er>. 



