40 [February, 



Aleurodes proletella, Sfc. — In all the British Cak^ognea Aleurodes proletella, 

 Linn. (^A. chelidonii, Latr.), which liyes on Chelidonium majus, is given as a native 

 of Britain, yet it so happens that I have never seen a specimen from that plant, nor 

 indeed as reputed from any other. So I now write to enquire if there is any real 

 knowledge of the species having been found in Britain on the celandine. Reaumur, 

 writing of the species, says that it lives on the Chelidonium, but adds, " On trouve 

 encore des Papillons tres semblables a ceux de I'eclaire (celandine) sur une plante 

 plus generalement connue, sur le dessous des feuilles de chou ; mais je n'y en jamais 

 autant vu que sur I'eclaire." This shows that he distinguished two different forms, 

 one special to each plant, yet, nevertheless, Linne long afterwards said, when he 

 described and named the species (proletella), and quoted Reaumur (Mem. ii, 7), 

 " Habitat in Brassica, Chelidonio ; an etium in quercu ?," showing that he did not 

 differentiate the species. Westwood (Introd., ii, 443, fig. 118, 1) gives as the food- 

 plants " Chelidonium, the cabbage, oak, &c.," but equally incorrectly, for the cabbage 

 feeder has been described as distinct by Walker, Koch and Signoret, and the oak 

 feeder by Signoret ; the latter giving the characters of the larva of the three species ; 

 these in all cases are more appreciable than those of the perfect insects. It may 

 also be noticed that Westwood's figure of chelidonii does not accord with the original 

 description of the species, it having only one dark spot on the fore-wings instead of 

 two, and he gives no description of his own. It is true that Walker says of his 

 brassiccB " Perhaps a variety of chelidonii ;" but Frauenfeld says that this remark 

 is erroneous, and he considers that, according to Koch's figure and description, it is 

 a good species. 



I have recently received a number of fresh or living examples of an Aleurodes 

 taken off cabbages by Mr. C. W. Dale and Dr. Chapman, and these entirely agree 

 with the description of A. brassiccB. It now only remains to get authentic specimens 

 of A. proletella in Britain from the celandine. Reaumur says that where the plants 

 abound it is not seen on every one, but when it does occur it is in dozens. Walker 

 says it swarms on the celandine till near the end of November. — J. W. DoraLAS, 

 153, Lewisham Road, S.E. : November 10th, 1893. 



Chirotica maculipennis, Or. : a species of Ichneumonidce new to Britain. — 

 On the 29th July, 1893, at Chobham, I captured a single specimen of this Ichneumon. 

 The Rev. T. A. Marshall says it is new to Britain, but he had taken it in tlie South 

 of France. — A. Beaumont, 153, Hither Q-reen Lane, Lewisham : January 2nd, 1894. 



Mesoleius Bignellii, Bridgm., at Pitlochry, — On September 5th, 1892, I took 

 two examples of this rare species. — Id. 



Birmingham Entomological Society : December \%th, 1893. — Mr. G. H. 

 Keneick, F.E.S., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Mr. R. C. Bradley showed a short but very variable series of Polyommatus 

 Phlceas from Sutton and Knowle. Mr. Q-. T. Bethune-Baker referred to Mr. F. 

 Merrifield's breeding experiments with Phlceas as recently described before the 

 Entomological Society of London, and said that Mr. Merrifield found that he got 



