42 THE entomologist's record. 



to darken this new substance, and, in a few days all, except a narrow 

 strip on each side, had assumed the colour of the main body of the 

 case. These two narrow "white lines" then seem to be just the portions 

 of the new substance which overlap the old, and the darkening secretion 

 of the larva appears not to be able to penetrate the double thickness 

 and so stain the overlapping part. As a result we get the white strips 

 sharply defined further from the keel line, but more or less ill-defined 

 on their lower margin ; but this varies in individuals, as one would 

 suspect, if the above suggestion were the true explanation of these 

 " white lines," and if the cases are closely examined, traces of other 

 " white lines " may be seen, which have become mostly clouded black- > 

 brown by exposure. The cases are strongly constricted, before the 

 commencement of the three valves of the anal opening, as well as ' 

 before the mouth opening. The sutures of the valves are very 

 prominent and the valves much adpressed. Of the two larv?e one 

 pupated about May 30th and produced an imago on June 18th. The 

 other was ejected from its case and the description of its thoracic 

 plates noted as follows : — 



The prothorax has two long, oblong, black plates with a narrow suture 

 between down the ba'-k, the front external corners being slightly rounded off. The 

 ■2nd, mesothoracic, plates, are four, two small triangles at the back of the segment 

 near together at the middle, with a narrow suture between, and two dots near the 

 front of the segment nearly as far apart as the ends of the plates on segment i. 

 The metathorax has two small dot plates nearer the hind margin than the front, 

 quite straight behind the dot plates on the mesothoracic. All three segments have 

 small spiracular dot plates. 



This season, 1905, while out collecting with Mr. K. South at North- 

 wood, I was fortunate to meet with this species again, and after a con- 

 siderable search I obtained twelve healthy cases on Centaur ea and two 

 on thistle. I was led to search thistle by noticing blotches on the 

 leaves exactly like those of the Centaurea. Many of the thistles on this 

 piece of rough ground showed traces of the larvte, but only two were 

 met with. In all cases the leaves of the thistles attacked inter- 

 mingled with the leaves of Centaurea, which had been similarly 

 attacked, and in no case did I find a thistle standing alone which 

 showed any traces of the larval depredations. Hence it may perhaps 

 be assumed that the imago did not select thistle upon which to deposit 

 its eggs, but that the two larvfe, under the influence of the wandering , 

 spirit, which the Coleophorids possess to an extreme degree, found 

 themselves upon a pabulum, which upon trial Avas found to be not un- : 

 palatable, and went on making its meals on it. Several of these larvfe 

 produced imagines, while the rest were ichneumoned. I should have; 

 said that the larvae put only the smaller part of their body into the 

 mine, which therefore forms only a small round blotch. One leaf is 

 frequently covered by numerous mines, and so becomes tolerably 

 conspicuous. These larvae from Northwood were found on June 8rd, • 

 1905. They soon pupated, and the imagines emerged at the end of 

 June and the beginning of July. The ichneumons, which were pro- 

 duced, made a hole in the side of the case near the valves of the 

 anal opening, but did not in any case use the anal opening as a 

 means of exit. 



