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the only one at the present time whose right to a place in our 

 lists is not beyond question. I think if its pretentions could 

 be upheld or overthrown by vote D. compta would most cer- 

 tainly be scratched. It should, however, be remembered that 

 the first admission of D. albimacula and D. ccssia to our lists 

 was in each case on even more slender evidence than that 

 which can be produced to support the claim of compta. 



From 1816 to 1864 albimacula was enumerated among 

 British DianthcecijE on the strength of a single example in 

 Mr. Stephen's collection which was said to have been taken 

 at Birch Wood in Kent. On June 8th, 1864, Mr. G. H. Lacy 

 took the second British albimacula ; at the present moment, 

 thanks to our Folkestone collectors, probably few collections 

 are minus a British type at least of this species. 



Although a specimen, supposed to be of Yorkshire origin, 

 existed in the collection of Mr. G. Shepherd prior to 1866. 

 D. ccesia does not appear to have been established as a 

 British species until that year. 



Writing in the Ent. Mo. Mag., iv., p. 91, under the date of 

 August 14th, 1867, Mr. E. Birchall says that his friend, Warren 

 Wright, of Dublin, bred ccBsia from larvae taken on the south 

 coast of Ireland. Since that time the species has found its 

 way into most of our collections. 



With regard to D. compta Mr. Birchall remarks in his list 

 of the Lepidoptera of Ireland published in the Ent. Mo. Mag. 

 for 1866, "A pair of this well-known species taken in Ireland 

 by Mr. Tardy, are in the collection of Trinity College ; but I 

 am unable to indicate the exact locality of their capture. 

 The insect has long been a reputed British species, and I 

 confidently anticipate its admission to our lists when Dublin 

 collectors bestir themselves a little." 



A few years after this, Mr. Meek records the capture of 

 several (six, I think) specimens on the Hill of Howth, Dublin, 

 and I am afraid that this is all the evidence we have to prove 

 D. compta being a British insect. 



On the other side there are the published opinions of Mr. 

 Charles Stewart Gregson and Mr. Doubleday. Both of these 

 gentlemen appear to have been equally dubious of British 

 compta, and were quite in accord in suggesting that probably 

 the insects in question (which by the way neither of them had 



