118 THE entomologist's RECORD. 



woun. On the 20th only two moths were seen, so that the flight was 

 over for the year. 



Under a lens the ovum is hardly to be distinguished from that of a 

 Nepticula, except that it is not quite so flat and scale-like, and is much 

 more even in outline. I am, however, really only comparing this ovum 

 with that of N. acetosae, as I scarcely know the egg of any other 2\epti- 

 cula until the larva has left it. The egg, however, may at once be 

 separated from that of Ceiiiiostoma fipartifoliella, which occurs in the 

 same situation, by its entirely different shape. To put it broadly the 

 former is a dome and the latter a lozenge. When newly laid the ovum 

 appears pale green, but as the shell is thin the colour is probably caused 

 by the green of the broom bark showing through the practically colour- 

 less egg. In general outline the egg is oblong ovoid and measures 

 about 0'37mm. in length and 0'24mm. in width. It gradually rises 

 from the circumference to the centre, forming thus a rather flat dome. 

 The shell is irregularly, but very finely, punctured all over. The egg 

 adheres to the bark so closely that it has more the appearance of a 

 blister raised from the skin of the bark than that of an object lying on 

 the surface. In spite of this the egg and its border of gum comes off 

 rather easilj'', and it is then seen that the underside of the ovum takes 

 an exact imprint of the broom bark. The egg soon assumes a yellow 

 tinge, and then for a day or two becomes grey, but as the yellow larva 

 forms it can be seen through the shell, so that gives the egg a yellow 

 appearance, which continues until the larva hatches. I believe that 

 the oval stage lasts from a fortnight to three weeks, according to the 

 weather, but I have no exact data to go on. On hatching the yellow 

 larva bores through the base of the egg shell and under the cuticle of 

 the bark of the broom, eating out the parenchyma. By the time the 

 larva is well out of the egg the vacated shell is filled with black excre- 

 ment and appears much the same as the ova of Nepticulids under 

 similar circumstances. The larva now continues its mine down the 

 stem. This species appears always to mine ihini the stem for the first 

 few mm. Whereas Cewiostoma sjiartifoliella always appears to mine 

 uji the stem when young. The broom stem is four-sided, at each 

 corner is a rib or ridge, and between the ridges run grooves. The egg 

 is laid in a groove, the larva soon after hatching makes its way under 

 the cuticle to the nearest ridge and then mines straight down, keeping 

 just below the top of the ridge. After making a mine from 6-8mm. 

 long in about a week, the larva comes to rest and prepares for the first 

 ecdysis. It then appears as an orange termination of the mine about 

 1mm. long. The larva mines venter uppermost. 



The larva in its first and subsequent instars reminds one very 

 strongly of the Nepticulid larva. The colour of the small head is brown 

 and that of the body bright yellow-ochreous, except the tenth abdomi- 

 nal segment, which, in the first instar, is grey Avith a semi-transparent 

 appearance. In the first instar the width of the head is 0'09mm. The 

 head is almost entirely enveloped in the wide prothorax. The body of 

 the larva becomes gradually narrower until the ninth segment, which 

 is much wider than the eighth, while the tenth segment is very small 

 and carries a pair of posterior points on each side. In the interior of 

 the tenth abdominal segment there are tAvo short rods like those we 

 ^ee in the Nepticulid larva. There are a few spicules on the skin, but I 

 could not detect any tubercles or setfe, or legs or pads of any kind. Tbe 



