X56 THE entomologist's record. 



Now to this year's investigation. As I remarked above, I have been 

 somewhat disappointed at the results of my appeal. But from my 

 correspondents, capable observers as I have said, I gather that the 

 Psijchides are not so generally distributed as I had supposed. Several 

 have written me, " W,e find none of them hereabouts." There may be 

 some sort of " art " or " skill " in " spotting " the cases, especially of 

 those species which are more successfully concealed, but all the same 

 I am disposed to think that my various collecting localities, widely 

 separated as they have been by time and place, have been more favoured 

 than the country generally. 



Narycia monilifera, Geoff. I watched carefully for the appearance 

 of these cases upon tree-trunks in the spring, but saw no trace of them 

 until June 7th, when I found three. On June 10th I found a pair of 

 imagines in copula in my garden, and have from time to time found 

 further single specimens. As they may be expected to be about until 

 the end of July, there is still plenty of time to look for them. The 

 imagines emerge about noon, are very inactive during the day-time, 

 though very quick to skip away when disturbed, if they have a chance. 

 The natural flight time appears to be at dusk. I netted a male on June 

 21st. I have satisfied myself that the species is not ordinarily par- 

 thenogenetic. 



Diplodoma herminata, Geoff. My experiences with this insect have 

 again been curious. As I reported before, the cases which I gathered 

 in May and June last year, yielded their imagines (indoors) in 

 March, and they continued to emerge until May 19th. When I 

 .examined the unemerged cases I found that the majority had died as 

 larvte or pupse, but there was still one living larva. I found a male 

 resting on a tree-trunk on June 20th, this year, at 11.0 a.m., and the 

 •same day began to find once more the large, probably " full-fed," cases, 

 ■which I suppose, from previous experience, are to produce next year's 

 (imagines. The unfertilised ova of this species do not ordinarily hatch, 

 :S0 far as I have observed. I am now finding occasionally a small, 

 light-coloured, trigonal case, measuring 5-1 x 3mm., resembling a trun- 

 cated case of Taleporia tubidosa, which species is, of course, by now 

 full grown and emerged. I have placed these cases with my D. 

 hernrinata, and believe that the larvae are constructing the outer case 

 which is peculiar to this insect. They may be really the first or second 

 year's larvae. 



Solenobia inconspicuella, Stainton. I visited my old Brentwood 

 locality on April 4tb, much earlier than I have been there of late years, 

 accompanied by Mr. F. G. Whittle, and two lads who had been 

 previously instructed as to what they were to seek. We gathered about 

 two dozen cases (size 5 x 2mm.) which we supposed to be the species 

 of which we were in search. These cases produced nothhKj but mildew, 

 and I can only infer that they were those of 5'. inconsiiicuella from 

 former experiences. Mr. Whittle visited the place later, on May 1st, 

 and kindly sent me his " bag." A(jain. nothiitu but iinldew. I gathered 

 from my local posts, from March 23rd, a number of cases which, as 

 last year, closely resembled the Brentwood cases (even to the occasional 

 development of the white heart-shaped mark), but these also produced 

 ,no imago. But these Mucking cases produced, in due course, a large 

 number of minute larvae, some of which are still living and feeding on 

 ,tree-lichen and dead insects. These cases having been taken wild and 



