206 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. fe 



Record, xi., pp. 255-256) that he is unable to distinguish these 

 Fontainebleau examples from his vernella, which he describes (exclud- 

 ing the synonymy) as follows : 



Talaeporia vernella, Cnst., "Ent. Bee.," xi., pp. 255-6 (1899); Walsm., 

 Ibid., 256-9, in part (1899). ? Lichenella, Berce, " Bull. Soc. Ent. Fr.," 4th ser. 

 viii., pp. xlix-1 (1868). ? Conspurcatella, Mill., " Cat. Lep. Alp. -Mar.," p. 295, excl. 

 ease (which = L. lapidella) (1875) ; [?Chret., "Le Nat.," p.103 (1893)].— <? . Enver- 

 gure : ll-12m??i. Pond des ailes superieures d'un gris jaunatre ou argileux, 

 seme irregulierement sur toute sa surface d'un assez grand nombre de traits 

 noiratres, tres courts, ordinairement plus epais sur la cote, et formant, chez les 

 sujets en bon etat, une sorte de reseau a mailles plus ou moins serrees ; quelquefois 

 unebande transversale de meme couleur, etroite, interrompue, contour ne l'extremite 

 de la cellule, et aboutit un peu avant le milieu du bord interne, sur lequel sa 

 presence n'est souvent indiquee que par une petite tache obscurement quadrangu- 

 laire. Angle anal peu saillant, arrondi, presque efface. Frange de la couleur 

 du fond, distinctement entrecoupee de noiratre. Ailes inferieures d'un gris pale 

 uni. Dessous des quatre ailes de la meme couleur que le dessus, mais sans repro- 

 duction sensible des traits et dessins des superieures. Corps entierement d'un gris- 

 brun. Antennes brunes, avec deux rangs opposes de cils courts. La ? m'est 

 inconnue. Alpes-Maritimes en mars. Beaucoup d'exemplaires. 



Constant notes that this species is somewhat -near B. alpestrella, 

 always smaller (about 3mm.), its head brown not whitish ; its wings 

 darker, the forewings much sprinkled with black scales. He doubts its 

 being distinct from the species captured in the neighbourhood of Paris 

 and sent out as conspureatella. 



B. montanella is, according toWalsingham, most nearly allied to B. 

 vernella, but to be distinguished from it by the larger proportion of the 

 pale ground colour on the forewings, especially between the end of the 

 cell and the apex, the hindwings being also somewhat more acutely 

 pointed. The species is described as follows : 



B. montanella. — Antennas biciliate (2J); pale cinereous, banded with pale brownish 

 fuscous. Palpi loosely clothed, pale cinereous. Head and thorax brownish-cinereous. 

 Forewings slightly shining, pale yellowish-cinereous, with pale brownish-fuscous 

 speckling on the basal half, becoming less frequent beyond the middle and more con- 

 fluent around the apex and termen, where it forms a series of small irregular spots ; 

 a spot of this confluent speckling occurs about the middle of the costa, and is 

 followed by a rather more conspicuous costal spot a little beyond it, with two or 

 three, less noticeable, between this and the apex ; on the dorsum is also sometimes 

 a confluent spot before the middle ; in the amount of confluence of the darker 

 shade-speckling, specimens vary considerably, the tendency to such confluence being 

 to form a shade at the base, one or two shade-spots on the cell, the outer one always 

 at its end (in addition to the marginal and apical spots already noticed) ; the cilia 

 are of the pale ground-colour of the wing, but show a slight brownish-fuscous shade 

 running through them near the base, not, however, reaching to one-half of their 

 length. Exp. al. 11mm. -12mm. Hindwings pale grey ; cilia shining pale greyish- 

 cinereous. Abdomen greyish-fuscous. Legs pale brownish-cinereous, tarsi very 

 faintly pale-spotted. Type: <? (81,616) Mus. Wlsm. (? ignota). Habitat: Corsica — 

 Vizzavona, May 9th-15th, 1896 (26 specimens) (Walsingham, Ent, Record, xi., 

 pp. 256-8). 



This appears to be most nearly allied to M. Constant's Cannes 

 species, but is distinguishable by the larger proportion of the pale 

 ground-colour on the forewings, especially between the end of the cell 

 and the apex ; the hindwings are also somewhat more acutely pointed. 

 I am unacquainted with its larval habits, not having met with the case, 

 although I carefully searched the many rocks which crop up among 

 the mass of low junipers (Juniperus sabina), over which the male flies 

 in the early morning at a considerable elevation, near Vizzavona, on 

 the slopes of Monte d'Oro (Walsingham). 



Comparison of B. staintoni and B. alpestrella. — B. alpestrella 



