146 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



direct evidence yet available that B. lignea feeds upon the Coton- 

 easter ; it has been beaten from that plant, but it also comes to 

 the lamp, usually late at night. 



When disturbed in the daytime the moth at once drops to 

 the ground, and in the most lively fashion skates about on its 

 back until it finds a crevice where it can conceal itself. 



Working upon the supposition that B. lignea is a rubbish- 

 feeder the mixture of dead leaves, fallen fruits, etc., from the 

 Cotoneaster has been collected, and any larvae therein have been 

 bred, but hitherto only Diptera have been obtained. 



The above facts have been communicated to the writer by 

 Mr. A. E. Wright, who is continuing his endeavours to elucidate 

 the life-history of this addition to the British fauna ; and for the 

 following additional notes I am indebted to Mr. J. Hartley 

 Durrant : — 



In our lists Blastobasis should be placed before the Oecopho- 

 ridae, and it should be noted that the inclusion of Endrosis in the 

 Blastobasidae (as in Staudinger's Catalogue) is incorrect — 

 Endrosis belongs to the Oecophoridae. As no full description of 

 this latest addition to the British List has yet appeared in any 

 readily accessible British publication I give below a copy of the 

 original descriptions. 



BLASTOBASIDAE. 



Blastobasis Z. 



Blastobasis lignea Wlsm. 



Wlsm. Tr. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1894. 550-1 (1894). 



" Antennae pale greyish fuscous ; basal joint enlarged, tufted and 

 notched in the male, pale cinereous. Palpi pale cinereous, shaded 

 and mottled with greyish fuscous externally. Head and Thorax pale 

 cinereous, the latter shaded with greyish fuscous. Foreivings pale 

 cinereous, much shaded and speckled with greyish fuscous, with a 

 slight purplish gloss ; five small blackish spots (the first on the disc 

 before the middle is sometimes connected with one on the middle of 

 the fold below, and somewhat before it ; a small one on the lower 

 edge of the cell lies halfway between these and two spots, the one 

 above the other, at the outer end of the cell) ; around the apex and 

 apical margin is a series of six or eight ill-defined greyish fuscous 

 spots along the base of the cilia, which are greyish cinereous, some- 

 times darker towards the apex. Hindioings very pale cinereous, 

 with pale greyish cinereous cilia. Abdomen missing. Legs pale 

 cinereous, somewhat speckled and shaded with greyish fuscous 

 externally. Exp. al. $ 14, $ 19 mm." 



Type <J (13681); Type ? (13683); CT. <J (13682); PTT. (13684- 

 96), B.M. (Mus. Wlsm.). 



Hab. Madeira ; sixteen specimens. 



