Insects. 2757 



Some of these names will, I fear, sadly perplex the advocates of what may not be 

 inaptly termed the mononimique system of Micro-Lepidopterous nomenclature, — as 

 we certainly have purpurana, scriptana, retusana, fimbriana and giossana, applied 

 respectively to very different insects from those bearing the names in question in our 

 catalogues ; and I strongly suspect that lunana will, by the advocates of either system, 

 supersede Walkerana, the now-called prodromana, on the score of priority, as the lu- 

 nana of Fabricius (an East Indian insect) was not described till 1794. 



J. F. Stephens. 



Eltham Cottage, Brixton Road, 

 March 2, 1850. 



A few Words on Tortrix pygmceana of Haxvorth. — Justice to the memory of my 

 late friend Haworth impels me to state that his example of Tortrix pygmaaana, now 

 in my possession, — although in beautifully perfect condition as far as regards the 

 size, — is wholly destitute of head and legs, caused apparently from the original bad 

 pinning of the specimen, which was the one whence Wood's figure (No. 1 136) of the 

 insect was designed, and a careful investigator might have readily ascertained the 

 same by a reference to Haworth's work. My original specimen, caught in Darenth 

 Wood, above thirty years since, is in a still worse plight, wanting an upper wing and 

 the abdomen, as well as head and legs. I possess, however, one recently-captured spe- 

 cimen — from Darenth also — in fine condition, which well exhibits its divisional cha- 

 racters. — /. F. Stephens ; Eltham Cottage, Brixton Road, March 2, 1850. 



Entomology of 1721. — The following extract is from Bradley's ' Works of Nature,' 

 1721. Mr. Dandridge observes that there " are gradual alterations from a perfect 

 moth to the bee kind ; and indeed, if we examine the 26th plate, taken from his ca- 

 binet, we may observe a just progression from one to the other. The antennae of all 

 are alike, and their bodies are just different enough to be distinguished from one ano- 

 ther, bearing about the same proportions of difference that a horse does to a mule 

 and a mule to an ass. The wings are four in each, those of the moth (Macroglossa 

 stellatarum) feathered all over : next to which is a degree of moth with transparent 

 wings, feathered only about one-fourth part (Sesiafuciformis). The third with wings 

 like the second, but thinly feathered on the edges (Sesia bombyliformis). And lastly, 

 the humble bee (Apis terrestris), whose wings have no feathers ; and so I doubt not 

 but we might proceed as gradually through the bees, wasps, and Ichnsumon kinds of 

 flies, and such as have only two wings." Plate 26 of the above work contains figures 

 of the moths named, very fairly executed. — Edmund Sheppard ; Arundel House, Ful- 

 ham, February 13, 1850. 



Habitat of Nomada armata. — Mr. Stevens informs me that the precise locality 

 where he captured the above-named bee was in Buckland Wood, South Devon, near 

 Spitchwick Park. Mr. Curtis has been misinformed respecting the unique Devon- 

 shire specimens in the British Museum, that is if he confines his remark to the 

 Hymenoptera. I observed at page liii of the Appendix to the last volume that I had 

 had the pleasure of confirming the right of some of the unique Devonshire specimens 

 to be considered indigenous. It is possible that some of the unique specimens may 

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