118 BKITISH LEPIDOPTEEA. 



178G Brahm and Johann Hiibner described and figured certain species 

 in Fuessly's Archiv der InsektengescMchte, whilst Esper, between 1777- 

 1794, and Fabricius, de Villers, Vieweg, Borkhausen, Jacob Hiibner, 

 and Thunberg described several species towards the end of the century, 

 the larger Psychids being by some of these authors placed among the 

 Bombyces, the smaller ones among the Tineids. 



Schrank appears to be the first author who separated the Psychids 

 as a distinct group, diagnosing the larger species under the generic 

 title Psyche, as follows (Fauna Boica, p. 87) — 



Federmotte, 211, Psyche. — Maxxchen : Fiiklkorner ; doppelkammformig, 

 Fliigel; flack dackformig, anseknlick. Korper, schmal. Fiisse, fast nackt. 

 Weibchen: Ein blosser Eyersack. Lebexsart: Die Baupen woknen in Sacke aus 

 zusammengesponnenen Blattstiicke oder Blattribben, die bei einigen Arten sebr 

 kiinstlick sind, und die sie allentkalben kerumtragen. Aus den Eyern kommen, 

 auck okne Begattung, lebendige Jungen aus, die aber nickt fortwacksen. 



Schrank had an unfortunate habit of changing specific names, e.g., 

 graminella is called graminum, viciella becomes viciae, atra is changed 

 to agrostides, &c. In 1809, Latreille restricted the genus to hieracii, 

 viciella, and muscella {Gen. Crust., iv., p. 219), whilst Kirby, in 1892,, 

 makes (Cat. Lep. Het.., p. 515) viciella the type of the genus. As 

 viciella is not congeneric with any British species, Psyche (as now 

 restricted) is not represented in Britain. With Ochsenheimer, the 

 history of the Psychid literature becomes more voluminous, but at the 

 same time more exact, and the species more clearly defined. To trace 

 this literature through the works of Germar, Duponchel, Boisduval, 

 Zeller, and Herrich-S chaffer would occupy too much space, although 

 the latter author's work in the Sys. Bearbeitung, vol. vi., is worthy of 

 notice ; it was, however, subsequent to, and probably inspired by, 

 Bruand's Monograph des Psychides, published in 1853, which is 

 deserving of all praise, and has practically formed the basis of almost 

 all subsequent work on this superfamily, and his attempt to clear up 

 the confusion, relating to the synonymy and life-histories of the species, 

 was so far successful that a solid foundation for future work was pro- 

 duced by him. Siebold, Speyer, Hofmann, Standfuss, Heinemann, 

 Milliere, and Heylaerts have since paid special attention to the group. 



We have already stated that Scopoli referred the Psychids to the 

 Phryganeidae, and Curtis observes that, in more than one respect, the 

 Psychids approach the Phryganeids, and he considers that they may 

 be found to unite the two orders, not only on account of the remark- 

 able resemblance between the economy of their larvae and the form of 

 the perfect insects, but the similarity of the cases with which they are 

 clothed. Newman allies them also with Phryganea, but states (Zool., 

 viii., pp. c-ci) that whilst in SterrhnpteHa- hirsutella (ccdvella) the 

 wings only produce scattered hairs, greatly resembling those possessed 

 by many species of Phryganea, in C. unicolor (graminella) the wings 

 are completely covered with true lepidopterous scales. " It is rather 

 remarkable that the question as to Psychids being Lepidoptera should 

 have been thus raised at this late period. Stephens points out that 

 the palpi are in a high state of development in the Trichoptera, and 

 that, therefore, the Psychidae cannot, from their oral organs, belong to 

 that order. 



Linne seems to have been the earliest author to place the larger 

 Micro-Psychids among the Bombycids, and the Psychidae, Kpich- 



