Insects. 8299 



5. A Suggestion as to the probable Food of the Larva of Micropteryx 



calthella. 

 Determined, if possible, to discover this larva, early last May I 

 visited Bishop's Wood, Hampstead. I observed the imagos in abun- 

 dance, as usual, on the buttercup flowers, and, after a careful search, 

 failed to meet with them on any other plant. Having sketched out a 

 rough plan, showing the various spots where the imagos were abundant, 

 I revisited the plants every week, and searched the leaves for the 

 existence of a raining larva without success until the 21st of June, 

 when I found a larva making a large mine in the leaf; this, however, 

 was considered to be a sawfly larva. I resumed my search, but not 

 meeting with a larva making linear excrement in the buttercup leaves, 

 1 commenced searching the leaves of the birches growing over the 

 aforesaid buttercups, and, after hunting over a whole host of leaves 

 mined by coleopterous! and dipterous larvae, I found some true Mi- 

 cropteryx larvge. I continued searching the buttercups and neigh- 

 bouring plants up to the end of July, without finding any trace of a 

 Micropteryx larva. I therefore point to the birch as the probable 

 food of this larva. 



6. A Suggestion as to the probable Food of the Larva of Micropteryx 



Seppella. 

 In June, 1861, 1 observed this species swarming in a little lane near 

 Addiugton. Being desirous of finding the larva, I sat down on the 

 bank and endeavoured to discover a preference on their part for any 

 particular plant ; but, after spending some time watching their move- 

 ments, all that I observed was that they fluttered over and settled on 

 the gi-ass stems. On the 25th of the following month I revisited the 

 locality, and eagerly searched amongst the low plants for evidence of 

 a Micropteryx mine, but without success. Failing amongst the low 

 plants, I ran my eye over the various privet, hazel and oak bushes, 

 and whilst doing so I observed a small birch, nearly buried by the 

 sun-oundiug bushes, every leaf of which, on closer acquaintance, I 

 found had been tenanted by a Micropteryx larva. Lower down the 

 lane I observed another small birch, in the leaves of which I found 

 two larvae. Body faint green ; head light brown ; the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 

 5th and 6th segments having each a small black spot, diminishing in 

 size. All the other larvae had vacated their mines. From the pre- 

 vious abundance of the perfect insect in this locality, and the total 



