THE ZooLoctst—JULy, 1872. 3123 
Thus, it seems from the observations of these two authors that 
these larve, living freely in the water, breathing by gills, and residing 
in cases like those of Hydropsyche, can scarcely be said to possess 
every lepidopterous character and make no approach to the tri- 
chopterous type. I arrange the statements thus in proof of my 
assertion that these contributions to the life-history of Acentropus 
are somewhat discordant. Mr. Brown says, “ The pupe are of the 
masked character, and the external case enables one to see clearly 
which will produce males and which females.” TI think this is 
very properly given as a fact without being intended to support a 
theory. Mr. Brown says that “When the imago emerges, it 
deliberately enters the water, and after creeping down a pond-weed 
_ Stem for an inch or two, emerges again with unwetted wings.” 
Mr. Hyndman, as quoted by Mr. Westwood, observed Phryganea 
grandis “creep down the stems of aquatic plants under the water, 
very nearly a foot deep, for the purpose of oviposition; on being 
disturbed it swam vigorously beneath the water to some other 
plants.” Can we accept these statements in proof of the lepi- 
dopterous character of Acentropus? I wrote thus far rather with 
the intention of contrasting this statement with others leading in 
an opposite direction, but I think the subject is well left for the 
present where it is; whatever is unsound in itself will not long 
retain its influence; whatever is sound will live for ever. The 
grand exordium of the Attorney-General in the Tichborne trial 
convinced everyone who heard it, but the effect of that conviction 
is fading away now that his voice has ceased, although no reply 
has been attempted; the influence of all those epithets is already 
on the wane. 
Mr. Dunning agrees with many other entomologists in thinking 
that we have but one species of Acentropus: his views on this are 
so interesting that I prefer giving them at length. 
“To slight differences in colour and size, I attach no importance. Hagen 
mentions that the colouring of the male Acentropus is variable in Prussia, 
the fore wings being sometimes more and sometimes less flushed with 
brown (Stett. Ent. Zeit. 1859, p. 203), and he refers (ib. 1870, p- 316, n.) 
to specimens from Russia and Kast Prussia which had the wings marked 
with brown. ‘Tengstrém (Not. Faun. Fenn. Forh. 1869, p. 824) says that 
Reuter captured specimens of A. Neve which in colouring resembled 
latipennis. And Ritsema (Tijd. voor Ent. 1871, p.-34, n.) reports that 
‘the colour varies between snow-white and gray.’ I have not seen any 
