268 THE kNtomoLogist. 



The moths began to appear on August 23rcl, and had all 

 emerged by Sept. 13th, In size and general coloration they 

 strongly resemble the ordinary clothes' moths. The following 

 description is obtained through the medium of a strong magnifier : 

 — Antennse long, slate-coloured, and spotted with white. The 

 palpi are very conspicuous, brown, andporrected. The head and 

 thorax are the same general brown colour of the upper wings. 

 The body is a silvery dark grey or slate-colour, the segmental 

 divisions light grey spotted with white, and there is a conspicuous 

 anal tuft of silvery grey. The fore wings are narrow, brown, and 

 spotted with black, especially at the outer margins, where the 

 spots chiefly form two parallel lines. Extending along the inner 

 margin, and nearly its entire length, is a long dash or stripe of 

 very light brown, or, as in many examples, of light ochreous- 

 colour. This stripe is broad (about one-third of the wing- 

 breadth), and has three angular "projections" stretching into the 

 dark brown colour of the wing; these projections are bounded 

 by a thin line of pale shining ochreous-colour, or, as in frequent 

 specimens, of white. The whole of the wing-surface is dotted 

 irregularly with minute black spots, the middle area is very dark 

 brown ; in some specimens it is almost black ; the inner marginal 

 stripe is then much paler, and the wing, especially the costal 

 margin, dusted with white scales. When the wings are closed 

 the projections of light colour assume a diamond pattern : with 

 good eyesight this pattern is visible, especially in the dark speci- 

 mens. The lower wings are a silvery slaty grey, with long 

 marginal fringes of the same shade. 



Before considering what the agriculturist can effect in neces- 

 sary war against this insect-pest, it is interesting to observe what 

 Nature provides for its suppression. Probably no living creature 

 has a harder time of it than our insect of the diamond-back. 

 Should it appear even in thousands, so apparently does the deadly 

 ichneumon : at least one-half of my larvae, especially those from 

 Durham and Yorkshire, were so infected. If the two species of 

 ichneumons I bred are peculiar to P. crucijerarum, how then 

 did their extraordinary abundance arise ? Were their progenitors 

 already in anticipation on British shores, or did they follow the 

 cloud of moths to the lonely rocks and lighthouse of the Fame 

 Islands ? No record appears on this latter point from the three 

 keepers. These ichneumons are so pretty and so interesting 

 that I venture to describe them as below : — 



(1). The most abundant. Size, that of the moth, or nearly 

 so. Head, thorax, and body black. Antennse the length of the 

 body, stout, smooth, and curved upwards. Wings rounded and 

 transparent, nervures black. The wings reflect the most beautiful 

 rainbow colours, chiefly pink, purple, and pale green. Legs 

 russet'brown. The ovipositor is black and simple ; it is attached 

 to a plate underneath the abdomen, and near its termination ; it 



