﻿1869.] 113 



Notes on the earlier stages of Eupcecilia ambiguana. — While collecting Ewpcecilia 

 a/mbiguana at Haslemere, at the end of May, 1868, 1 noticed that about sunset the 

 females were to be seen flying about the flowers at the tops of the bushes of 

 Rhamnus frangula, apparently depositing eggs. On July 27th of the same year, 

 I found on these identical bushes, berries fastened together with silk, and partially 

 eaten out, and in them larvae of which the following is a description : — 



Head and back of 2nd segment blackish, anal segment brown, rest of body 

 dull pink or reddish, but so transparent that the dark contents of the intestinal 

 canal give it a greyish tinge. 



Each larva fastened several berries together, feeding only on their interior, 

 but in some instances the silken tube was continued to a neighbouring leaf, which 

 was folded at the side, apparently as a shelter. 



I found about a dozen of these larvaa, and confined them in a jar with plenty 

 of food. When full fed, each cut an oval piece out of a leaf of the Rhamnus and 

 rolled it into a case, like that of a Coleophora, which it attached, by the end, to 

 the gauze which covered the jar, and to do this some of the larvaa must have 

 carried it several inches. One larva, however, fastened his case to a twig of 

 E7t.am.mts, boring a little hole in the wood to fit its mouth, and this I judge to be 

 its normal habit. 



These cases I brought with me to Norwich, and watched eagerly in May for 

 the appearance of the perfect insects, but to my great disappointment not one 

 emerged, and on examination they were all found to have died in the larva state. 



Although I feel certain that this is the larva of E. ambiguana, its case-making 

 habit is so extraordinary that I cannot expect others fully to accept my conclusion, 

 and therefore give these details in the hope that some one more fortunate may be 

 assisted to work it out. — Chas. G. Barrett, Norwich. 



Hydrilla palustris near Norwich. — On June 5th last, I had the good fortune to 

 take, by means of light, a male of Hydrilla palustris, at a very short distance from 

 this city. This was on one of the few favourable nights for collecting that occurred 

 in the early part of this summer, and the succeeding and many following nights 

 were so cold that not an insect was to be seen, and consequently the search for 

 more of this species was fruitless, but I see no reason whatever to suppose that 

 this individual was accidentally introduced, or that it will not be found to be a 

 regular inhabitant of this neighbourhood, and therefore think that it may safely be 

 re-introduced into our lists. 



Although it bears a considerable resemblance to some of the Caradrince, particu- 

 larly G. Morpheus, its peculiarly thin abdomen forms a striking distinction from all 

 of them. — Id. 



Acronycta alni, Cymatophora ridens, and (Ecophora Lambdella near Plymouth. — 

 Yesterday I took a larva of alni on dogwood in a lane near here. It was reposing 

 on the upper surface of the leaf, as seems to be the habit of this species. In April 

 last I took a specimen of ridens in my garden, and last month (Ecophora Lambdella 

 fell to my lot. It was flying in the sunshine on the Revelstoke cliffs, about six 

 miles east of Plymouth. This last was kindly determined for me by Mr. Stainton. 

 — Rich. P. Murray, Plymstock, Plymouth, August 19th, 1869. 



