280 The Zoologist — July, 1866. 



Mr. Bond exhibited a finely-marked variety of the female of Cabera exanthemaria, 

 bred by the Kev. Mr. Horton, of Powick, near Worcester. 



Mr. Newman sent for exhibition some larviB of Hepialus lupulinus found in a 

 heap of wet clay amongst the under-ground rhizomes of the common 'coltsfoot 

 (Tussilago farfara), at Uenlow, near Biggleswade, in April last: these larvjE were all 

 dead, and remarkable as forming the pabulum of a fungus, probably a Sphaeria, 

 occupying the whole interior, and sending out its mycelia in all directions through the 

 skin, while in some specimens a stout capitate column rose from the neck of the larva 

 immediately behind the head, evidently the fructification of the fungus. This 

 singular formation is figured in ' The Entomologist,' vol. iii. p. 75. 



Mr. Stainlon exhibited some Dipterous larvse he had that morning received from 

 Mr. Borthwick, Treasurer of the Natural History Society of Alloa : these larvae were 

 reported to be very injurious to the young wheat, destroying the main stem just above 

 the root. 



Mr. Saunders observed that some similar larvae had been brought under bis notice 

 by one of his neighbours in Surrey, but that if the larvae attacked the wheat when 

 very youno- the result was simply the destruction of the main stem, and the plant 

 put out au additional quantity of other stems, and no more injury was done to 

 the crop than by pasturing sheep upon wheal when getting too luxuriant early in 

 the season. 



Mr. Slaiuton exhibited a number of drawings, made by Miss Wing, of the Micro- 

 Lepidopterous larvie he had collected during March in the South of France, at Cannes 

 and Menlone, including Acrolepia Smilaxella of Millicre, of which the larva fed on 

 the leaves of the Smilax aspera ; Hyponomeuta egregiellus, Duponchel, which fed on 

 the Erica scoparia; a Gelechia (probably G. biguttellu), bred from Dorycnium suflfru- 

 ticosum and D. hirtum ; Coleophora congeriella, Staudinger, on D. suffruticosum ; a 

 green Depressaria larva on Genista spinosa, which, instead of producing a novelty, had 

 yielded only D. atomella; Gelechia PsoralcUa of Milliere on Psoralea bitumiuosa; an 

 Elachista larva mining down a leaf of Carex, just as it might have been doing in 

 England at the same period of the year ; larva; of the insect so injurious to the olives, 

 and which Herr Kalieubach, of Aix-la-Cliapelle, had last year first correctly referred 

 to the genus Prays, Prays oleellus being evidently, both in form, structure and even in 

 marking closely allied to Prays Curtisellus, whilst there was a great similarity in the 

 habits of the larva;, that of P. Curtisellus being as destructive to the shouts of the ash 

 as that of P. oleellus to the shouts of the olive; also a drawing of a true gall formed 

 on the shoots of Gypsophila saxifraga by a small Lepidopterous larva (probably of the 

 genus Gelechia, but which had not yet been bred). Mr. Stainton observed that the 

 only other instance of a true gall formed by a Lepidopterous larva was that formed by 

 Asycbna Eeraiella on Polygonum aviculare. 



Mr. Stainton also exhibited a drawing of a larva found on spindle in his own 

 garden at Lewisham, the habits of which were very peculiar, inasmuch as these larvae 

 were found only where there was a bundle of the " frass" of last year's larvae of Hypo- 

 nomeuta Evonymellus resting on the twigs of the spindle; but wherever there was 

 such a mixture of web and excrement left on the plant, one of these larvae was to be 

 found underneath feeding on the bark and even eating the wood of the spindle. The 

 appearance and agility of the larva reminded him much of the genus Gelechia ; and 

 already were there three instances known in that genus (' Intelligencer,' Vol. vii. 



