16 [Juno, 



an indistinct bronzy-green, somewhat like B.fuscoeenea in colour, but darker and also 

 much smaller; they measure, indeed, a trifle less than B. senescens and fuscocuprea. 

 Last year I had the luck to find the larva on Helianthemum vulgare, and to breed a 

 few moths. Mr. Stainton most kindly examined some of these and has referred them 

 to B. laminella, H.-S. This species may be separated from the purplish-black 

 B. fuscocuprea by its colour, and from B. senescens by the entire absence of pale 

 scales from the fore-wings. I believe that the females of both these species have 

 large white blotches on the under-side of the abdomen, while those of B. laminella 

 have a small yellowish one. The larva of the latter is also very distinct, as will be 

 seen from the description which Mr. Bankes has been good enough to furnish. — 

 Id. : April IZth, 1888. 



Description of the larva of Butalis laminella, H.-S. — Knowing that I was 

 much interested in the genus Butalis, Mr. W. H. B. Fletcher, of Worthing, was 

 good enough to send me, on June 7th, 1887, some larvae which he had found feeding 

 on Helianthemum vulgare in Arundel Park. At the time we both imagined that 

 they would produce B. fuscocenea, but the perfect insects bred from them have now 

 proved to be the closely-allied B. laminella, H.-S., which will, I expect, be found to 

 be pretty widely distributed, though hitherto always confused with the former 

 species. The following description of the larva was taken on June 8th : — Length, 

 4£ lines. Head slightly narrower than the second segment : both it and the second 

 segment are dirty yellow, and polished, with one or two small blackish spots on the 

 sides. Body long, thin, and cylindrical, dull, dark olive-brown with a greenish tinge, 

 hardly showing at all paler between the segments, but of rather a lighter shade 

 towards the anal segment, which has no darker horny plate. The skin is rough like 

 shagreen, emitting a few light bristles. No apparent dorsal or subdorsal lines or 

 spots ; but there is a whitish-yellow stripe along each side below the spiracles. 

 Ventral surface dark reddish-brown, inclining to dark chestnut, and showing greenish- 

 yellow between the segments. Anterior legs black. Living in a loose silken web 

 among the stems of its food-plant, Helianthemum vulgare. The first imago appeared 

 on July 2nd ; and fortunately the species does not seem to be so exceedingly difficult 

 to rear as are several others of the genus. — E. R. Bankes, The Rectory, Corfe 

 Castle : March 20th, 1888. 



Mytilaspis pomorum. — Mr. James O'Brien has sent to me an apple just 

 imported from Tasmania on which were a dozen of the scales of this Coccid, and he 

 says he has seen some on apples from Australia. Mr. Maskell reports it as common 

 on many trees in New Zealand, and Professors Riley and Comstock state that it 

 abounds on many different trees in N. America, more commonly in the Northern 

 States. It is universal in Europe, and in this country it occurs on many trees ; I 

 have lately seen it on the stems of heather (CallunaJ., and hoped I had found 

 M. linearis, which Signoret reports he had seen on heath (Erica), but it proved to 

 be only M. pomorum. I have seen the scales of this species on the fruit of apples 

 grown in Britain, yet rarely, and also on American and Canadian fruit ; usually they 

 are attached to shoots two years' old, but they are also seen in full vigour on the 

 hard, dry bark of old stems, and then they must derive their nutriment by means of 

 their long rostral seta? inserted through the stomata down to the liber; and-theyare 

 very hurtful to the trees. I am in quest of other species of Mytilaspis which Should 

 occur in Britain : — abietis, Schrank, on branches of spruce-fir; buxi, Bouche, on the 



