European Species of the Genus Cosmopteryx. 639 



golden, coppery, red-copper or violet, according to the light; 

 behind this the wings are deep black, with a very brilliant change- 

 able streak on the inner margin to the apex, varying from a 

 silvery-blue to violet or a golden tint ; cilia long and black ; 

 posterior wings fuscous, glossy, with paler opaque cilia." 



And Stephens observes — " The above description of this most 

 splendid insect is drawn up from ' Lepidoptera Britannica,' with 

 slight alterations, to agree with the only known specimens ;" add- 

 ing, " I have seen two examples only of this truly beautiful species ; 

 one of them was in the collection of the late Mr. Haworth, and 

 was taken near London ; the other is in ray own cabinet, having 

 taken it in July, 1827, in Holme Wood Lane, near Ripley." 



Zeller, in the " Isis" of 1839, p. 210, refers to Hiibner's figure 

 of Zieglerella, and says — " I took six specimens of this wonder- 

 fully beautiful species (very badly represented by Hiibner) at 

 Spitzberg, in June, in the evening, amongst raspberry bushes." 



In 1844, Eversmann published his " Fauna Lepidopterologica 

 Volgo-Uralensis," in which, at page 596, we find the following 

 description : — 



" (Ecophora Zieglerella, Hiibn. Palpi longissimi, gracilissirai, 

 reflexi, £3eneo-fusci ; antennse breves, atrae, annulo lato apiceque 

 albis ; caput et thorax fusco-orichalcea, nitidissima ; — alas 

 anticse atras, summa basi fasciaque basali orichalceis nitidis- 

 simis, — fascia externa lata aurantiaca, utrinque orichalceo- 

 raarginata ; — posticse nigricantes." 



And he then proceeds to observe : — 



" Gracilis et minuta, duplo minor prsecedentibns. [The pre- 

 ceding species are Brockella and Goedarlella.~\ Habitat in 

 provincise Casanensis coryletis ; volat Junio, ardente sole ; 

 in Coryli folio insidens perpetuo et celerrime in gyrum ver- 

 titur, turn evolat, et in alterum folium transvolans denuo 

 circumagitur." 

 In this description no mention is made of the apical streak, and 

 the " summa basi fasciaque basali orichalceis" would imply that 

 the extreme base and a basal fascia were brassy — a phraseology 

 which I cannot apply to any species with which I am acquainted. 



Up to this period no author appears to have suspected that there 

 might be several closely-allied species ; and hence none of the 

 descriptions have that extreme accuracy which we now find to be 

 so necessary. 



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