204 BBITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



in the amount of dark fuscous speckling ; there is also a specimen 

 labelled " bred March '92, Southampton Water (Bankes)," 13mm., 

 which is very dark. 



Comparison of B. staintoni and B. conspurcatella. — The diffe- 

 rences cited by Walsingham as distinguishing B. staintoni from Zeller's 

 type of conspurcatella are, on the whole, perhaps less than those exist- 

 ing between the former and two specimens in the " Frey " collection 

 from Ajaccio, but which we have little doubt are specifically identical 

 with our British insect, and one feels that one would like a fair repre- 

 sentative lot of Mann's original captures, or a modern series from 

 Pratolino or Pratovecchio, to determine the matter more definitely. 

 Walsingham's comparison of the two insects reads as follows : "As 

 compared with the true conspurcatella, Zeil., the English species is 

 distinctly darker, the ground colour having a more yellowish tint, the 

 darker markings being more distinctly brownish-fuscous (not ' gelb- 

 braunen ' as described by Zeller), the hindwings are much darker 

 than in any other species of the conspurcatella group, and have a 

 purplish tinge. Another very noticeable point is that in the true con- 

 spurcatella the outer half of the cilia of the forewings is pale yellowish, 

 as described by Zeller [Linn. Ent., vii., 357 — ' Franzen an der 

 Wurzelhalfte braungrau, aussen bleich-gelblich '] , whereas in the 

 British species they are noticeably shaded by a series of strong 

 brownish-fuscous streaks running through them from the dark basal 

 portion, which, however, in both species, occupies somewhat less than 

 one-half of their total length. The forewings are also slightly less 

 elongate, and with a more rounded apex, having a generally more 

 abrupt appearance. The legs and abdomen are also of a very dis- 

 tinctly darker shade, to which the terms of Zeller's description : 

 ' Korper gelbbraunlich mit bleich-ocherbraunlicher Behaarung unci 

 solchen Fuhlern und Beinen ' (loc. fit., 356) could not apply." There 

 is sufficient uncertainty about a species separated on the tint and the 

 amount of elongation of the forewings (three of the Ajaccio specimens in 

 the " Frey " collection have noticeably pointed forewings, and so have 

 some British examples) to tempt us to give Zeller's original diagnosis 

 of conspurcatella. This reads (excluding the synonymy) as follows : 



Talaeporia conspurcatella (Kollar, in litt.), [Mann and] Zeller, " Stett. Ent. 

 Zeit.," xi., pp. 59-60, no. 4 (1850); "Linn. Ent.," vii., p. 356 (1S52) ; Hdrch., 

 "Lep. Eur. Cat.," p. 78, no. 2 (1851) ; H.-Sch., " Sys. Bearb.," v., pi. lii., fig. 365 

 (1851) ; p. 113, no. 207 (1854); Staud. and Wocke, " Cat.," p. 105, no. 1,162 (1861); 

 2nded., p. 266, no. 1,330, in part (1871) ; Sta., "Ent. Ann.," 1868, pp. 127-9, in 

 part (1867) ; " Tin. S. Eur.," pp. 55, 70-1, 332 (1869) ; Hein., " Schmett. Deutsch. 

 Tin.," pp. 19-20, in part (1870) ; Curo and Tur., " Bull. Soc. Ent. It.," xv., p. 3, in 

 part (1882); Walsm., "Ent. Rec," xi., pp. 256-8 (1899). Im Marz bei Pratolino und 

 Pratovecchio an einer uberhangenden Felsenwand beim Arno ; hier fing ich in den 

 Morgenstunden bei triibem Wetter gegen 20 Mannchen. [Conspurcatella, mas., 

 antennis interrupte longius ciliatis, alis ant. albido-griseis fuscescenti-punctatis, 

 macula paria venae transversa? obscuriore. Grosse wenig iiber Tinea stelliferella 

 oder Micropteryx sparmannella, Fliigel noch gestreckter als bei T. triquetrella. 

 Koiper braunlichgrau, Kopf etwas heller und wenig behaart. Fiihler mit langen, 

 am Ende verdickten Gliedern ; jedes Glied hat an der Verdickung mehrere langere 

 steile Haare, daher sind die Fiihler in zwei Reihen unterbrochen langhaarig 

 gefranzt. Beine graugelblich. Vorderfiiigel unrein bleichgelb, sehr hell, etwas 

 glanzend, mit ziemlich reichlichen, groben, hellbraunen Punkten bestreut, die am 

 Hinterrande wenig dichter stehen, als anderwarts. Ein brauner, durch hellbraune 

 Eini'assung zum Fleck verstiirkter Punkt sleht auf der Querader. Franzen an der 

 Wurzelhalfte braungrau, sonst bleichgelb. Hintermigel schmal, sehr licht grau. 

 Unterseite aller Fliigel einfarbig gelbbraunlich grau, ehvas glanzend. Das Wcibchen 



