248 [AprU, 



discovered by the Eev. C. E. Digby on April 3rd, 1883, but, as no 

 notes on it have yet been published, with his permission I append a 

 description taken on May 17th : — 



The narrow, pointed, and much flattened head is black, homy, and highly 

 polished ; it is retractile into the 2nd segment, which is much broader, and covered 

 by a horny, polished, dark brown plate. Body very long and cylindrical, dull 

 purplish-brown, with no dorsal or sub-dorsal lines or spots, and not showing paler 

 between the segments ; there is a single stripe, rather lighter in colour than the 

 body, along each side in the region of the spiracles ; anal segment shining, dirty 

 yellowish-brown, with no darker plate. Ventral surface and prolegs dirty brownish- 

 yellow ; anterior legs black, and highly polished. Length, 5 — 6 lines. 



The larvae live on the surface of and below the sand, in very long 

 silken tubes, composed of sand and silk interwoven, and attached to 

 half-buried twigs of Qalluna vulgaris and Erica cinerea, upon which 

 they feed. The tubes inhabited by this species often measure several 

 inches in length, while those of B. siccella are equally long in propor- 

 tion to the size of the larva. The pupa is enclosed in a rather long 

 curved cocoon just below the surface of the sand. 



I may add that, like B. siccella, this species is exceedingly difficult 

 to rear into the perfect state, and the larvae, at any rate in confinement, 

 seem to continue feeding for an almost interminable length of time. 

 Although I am well acquainted with the larvae, and have several times 

 tried to rear them, I have never yet succeeded in breeding even a 

 single specimen of the moth, though the Rev. C. R. Digby has been 

 rather more fortunate with them. 



The Rectory, Coi'fe Castle : 



February 10th, 1888. 



DESCEIPTION OF THE LARVA OF LJEUCANIA TUECA. 

 BY G. T. POEEITT, F.L.S. 



On the 24th July, 1886, 1 received from the Eev. C. E. N. Burrows, 

 of Brentwood, a good supply of eggs of Leucania turca. They were 

 from two ? , and were deposited in rather large batches, out of sight, 

 in the crevices of the chip box ; and in a state of nature would, no 

 doubt, be placed either under bark, or in the crevices of grass. They 

 were glossy, pale straw colour, with deep depression on the upper-side. 

 On the 27th I found they were hatching, and the newly-emerged larvae were 

 smoky-olive, with brown head, and darker brown mandibles. They throve well on 

 short grasses, and on Dactylis glomerata, and by August 28th were about five- 

 eighths of an inch long. Body cylindrical, and of nearly uniform width; head 

 polished, slightly narrower than the second, and still narrower than the third 



