NOTES ON COLEOPHORA ALCYONIPENNELLA. 41 



This female had only emerged two or three days previously, and it 

 seems possible that, having more energy, she avoided the attempts at 

 copulation because they were in some respects at variance with the 

 normal habits of her species. On the other hand the successful 

 attempts were made with females that may very possibly have been 

 deficient in energy, owing to the lapse of time since their emergence. 

 A certain sluggishness, due to the unfavourable nature of the night, 

 might also account for the lax instinct of the males when pairing, or 

 attempted pairing, took place. That the nights in question were 

 unfavourable is, I think, evinced by the few specimens assembled. 



But whether this explanation or variation of the pairing instinct 

 be the cause, the facts would seem to prove that the males do not 

 merely follow up the scent to its source and then buzz round until 

 chance brings them in contact with a female with which they at once 

 pair. There would seem to be some power of recognition other than 

 scent, if not of selection, on their part. That the pairing habit is 

 variable there seems no doubt, as with moths of the same species 

 pairing does not always follow immediately on the male gaining: 

 access to the female ; sometimes the male quiets down and waits 

 quietly in a corner of the cage while the female continues calling, at 

 other times pairing takes place immediately the male gains admission. 



With the females, whether success was due to a lack of energy on 

 their part or not, the fact that, on one occasion at least, the failure to 

 pair was due to female action, even though the male was of another 

 species, suggests that she has not only the power of selection, but the 

 will to use it should the appearance or advances of the male be 

 sufficiently at variance with her instinctive expectations. 



Notes on Coleophora alcyonipennella. 



By H. J, TURNER, F.E.S. 



CoLEOPHOKA ALCYONIPENNELLA. — This species had long evaded my 

 search, but on May 1st, 1904, at Eanmore Common, while endeavour- 

 ing to get some plants of Imda conyza, I met with traces of it on some 

 young leaves of Centa urea . They were , however, very scarce, for although 

 I searched assiduously for some time, I was able to find only two 

 cases. One of the characters given in all descriptions of the case of 

 this species, is the presence of two white longitudinal lines somewhere 

 between the keel and the sides of the case, but in none of them have 

 I ever seen an attempt to point out their origin. Perhaps the follow- 

 ing may afford a clue. First of all, these two cases had only just 

 traceable white imperfect lines, almost to be described as scratches. 

 Like many species among the Coleophorids, this one enlarges its case 

 by means of an insertion of new substance in a slit made along the 

 lower or keel side, and, in a few days after these cases were obtained, 

 one larva cut a slit in its case and commenced to fill it with new silk 

 in very narrow strips side by side, all the minute ridges where these 

 strips adjoined showing very clearly. By May 11th the new keel 

 piece was completed and was wholly white. The edges of this new 

 piece overlapped the two edges of the slit, and an extremely slight 

 ridge of the new white substance contrasted strongly with the distinct, 

 dull black of the old. The old substance evidently underlapped the 

 new to give sufficient strength to the seam. The larva now proceeded 



