1893.] 209 



Larva: this is well described and figured by Signoret {I.e.). They appear in 

 July, and almost directly after hatching locate themselves behind the bud-scales at 

 the base of the young, tender, growing shoot of the spruce ; here they fix themselves 

 head downwards, and pass the winter without materially altering in form. 



Hah. : in spruce fir (Abies excelsa). 



First taken eTuly 4th, 1891, at Delamere Forest, Cheshire, where 

 it is very common on some of the trees, so abundant, that I venture 

 to say it must be injurious. As examples of protective resemblance, 

 I know of none more interesting ; they are so much like an unopened 

 bud of the spruce fir, that it is difficult to detect them at first sight. 

 They are terribly subject to the attacks of a Chalcid'^ parasite, which 

 hatches at the same time as the larvae, and I imagine that the latter 

 are parasitized before they fix themselves behind the bud-scales, &c., 

 for they would not be accessible afterwards, except in the adult stage, 

 when they are not attacked. 



As to the synonymy of the species : — 



Geoffroy (J.c) says —" It is quite circular and spherical. Its 

 colour is shaded chestnut-brown. It is found on the branches of 

 spruce firs, chiefly towards their bifurcations." 



This exactly applies to the form described above, and which I find 

 near the bifurcations of the small branches ; such forms I take it are 

 the normal ones, as there is nothing in the way to arrest the natural 

 development, except parasites, and these would tend to make the scale 

 more spherical, and not depressed or cut off. 



Gmelin (I.e.) only refers to Geoffroy as above, and to Modeer. 

 No description, only " Hab. in spruce fir. Chestnut-brown." 



Schrauk {I.e.) states that it "'lives among the needles of the pines 

 (Fichte). Boat-shaped, or more distinctly of the form of an egg cut 

 so that it presents the larger axis parallel, without silky matter, light 

 brown, paler at the end." 



So far as the description is concerned, it agrees very well with the 

 specimens of the commoner form which I find at the base of the spruce 

 fir leaves, and beneath the " bud-scales." I presume that " Fichte " 

 is the spruce fir. The term " boat-shaped " I imagine applies to ex- 

 ternal characters alone, i. e., the characters of the dorsal surface. 



As to the Jiemicryphits of Dalman, the description of it given by 

 Signoret {I.e.), p. 280, agrees with my specimens, but more especially 

 with those which are found in exposed situations on the branches. 



There is one exception, however. I do not find the regular cor- 

 rugations or carinfe shown in Signoret's fig. 1, ventral view, but 1 do 

 not attach much importance to this. The figs, of the $ are copies of 



