NOTES ON COLEOPHORA SOLITARIELLA, ETC. 121 



finished, but it was curious that all should, be in exactly the same 

 state, and that such an opportunity should be aiforded to parasites to 

 insert their ovipositors. 



On May 13th, I found a number of cases on a larch in Kew 

 Gardens, and noted among them (1) the first new spring cases made 

 from a portion of a needle hollowed out and the ends formed, one for 

 a mouth, and the other valved for the extrusion of excretory matter ; 

 (2) the ordinary light brown cases bulged at the middle, and (3) dark 

 brown, dirty-looking scale-like cases which were being enlarged by the 

 addition of a portion of cuticle. What seemed strange was the 

 existence of two forms of case, one of uniform structure, texture, 

 colour, etc. (not an early spring case), and the other a dirty weathered 

 case, with signs of additions more or less irregular, whereas the 

 former had no signs of additions, and yet both were of about the 

 same size. When the larva of this species has to enlarge its case, it 

 affixes one side lengthways on a needle, generally on the inner or 

 upper surface. Then it proceeds to mine under the case, slit the case 

 on the lower side, and fit the cuticle into the space made. This 

 portion is frequently longer than the old case, and overlaps for a time 

 till the larva has filled up the space to the ends and finished off mouth 

 and anal openings. The method of enlargement is most curious in 

 this, that the upper side of the case becomes the lower after the 

 addition, and the mouth-opening slopes the reverse way. The 

 addition is made along the lower side to start with, but when the 

 mouth is formed its direction of slope is reversed. When the larva 

 is ready to pupate, the anal end of the case lies open, and remains 

 so that one can readily see the pupa and extract it easily. Most of 

 the larvae I had pupated in mid-May. At Amersham, on May 23rd, 

 I found most of the larvae had pupated, and a few imagines were 

 sunning themselves on the needles. At the same time I met with 

 several cases at large, with very plain evidences of the reversal of the 

 direction of the mouth opening, which had taken place on enlarge- 

 ment. On referring to cases taken elsewhere, the same peculiarity 

 was noticed. My imagines emerged at the end of May and beginning 

 of June. On May 31st, two specimens paired. They were first 

 noticed at 7 a.m. and remained so until 12.30 p.m. On the following 

 day the fresh needles were examined with a glass, and about a dozen 

 ova were counted. These were comparable with Noctuid ova. They 

 were undoubtedly " upright " eggs, with the micropyle at the top, and 

 ribbed vertically with thirteen or fourteen bold ribs running from 

 micropyle to base. On the high dry ground at the top of Purley Downs, 

 on June 11th, I saw many traces of the depredations of the larvfe, 

 but the imagines were over, whilst, on June 19th, at Amersham, a 

 few imagines were still to be noticed, but in a very worn condition. 



CoLEOPHORA ALBiTARSELLA. — On May 4th, 1904, Mr. Eustace Bankes 

 sent me larv^ of still another species, C. albitarsella, with which I had had 

 only a very slight acquaintance. Some years ago I took cases of this 

 species in the old lanes just south of Lewisham, where Stainton found 

 such treasures, now, alas ! gone for ever, sacrificed to bricks and 

 mortar. Those I took fed on ground ivy, but the larvae sent me by 

 Mr. Bankes were found on marjoram, in the Isle of Portland. This 

 form of marjoram was of hard stunted growth, as if it had a difficulty 

 in getting sustenance in a hard and dry soil. Yet the larvae seemed 



