288 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



male, and finally die there if not fertilised, whilst L. ferchaultella 

 commences to lay her eggs directly after emergence, without waiting 

 for a male, the eggs hatching in due course. Stainton described a 

 species from Morocco, which, he suggests, closely resembles L. lapi- 

 della. This appears to be the Sciopetris technica, Meyr., Ent. Mo. Mag., 

 xxvii., p. 58, from Phillipeville, Algiers. Stainton describes it as 

 follows : 



Solenobiapretiosa, Sta., " Ent. Mo. Mag.," viii., p. 233 (1872). — A very neat and 

 delicate-looking insect, in form of wing closely resembling S. lapidicella, but much 

 paler, with the reticulations of the anterior wings more neatly expressed, and 

 with the head pale yellow ; the antennas not pectinated, but slightly pubescent. 

 Exp. al. 5 lin. One specimen taken among low plants on the Marshen, April 

 26th, 1870 (Stainton). 



As the specimen cannot be found in the " Stainton" continental 

 collection its exact relationship with L. lapidella cannot be determined. 

 The reference to the antennae is suspicious that the insect is not really 

 very closely allied thereto. One might here note that Constant 

 describes (Ent. Bee, xi., p. 256) the antenna? of T. defoliella in almost 

 the same terms. 



Egg-laying. — The eggs are packed into the empty pupa-skin, the 

 ruptured end of which is stopped with a wad of silken material from 

 the anal tuft. Eggs laid on June 30th, hatched July 27th, 1899. 



Ovum. — The egg is pale yellowish-white in colour, irregularly oval, 

 slightly over •5mm. in length and •375mm. in width (a very large egg 

 for so small a species). It is soft and fragile, a mere bag of fluid, 

 perhaps a shade firmer than the egg of Whittleia reticella, though this 

 is doubtful. The shell is shiny, not very smooth and appears to be 

 roughly and irregularly faceted. The case possibly would not hold 

 more than fifty eggs, but to find out the actual number would certainly 

 result in the fracture of all the eggs (Bacot, July 9th, 1899). 



Case. — The cases vary from 5mm. -7mm. in length, and average 

 about 2mm. in width, some, however, are less than 4mm. in length. 

 The case is roughly conical, pointed somewhat bluntly at its posterior 

 end, but with a very wide elliptical mouth, from which the larva pro- 

 trudes its head, prothorax, mesothorax and the sides of the meta- 

 thorax. It is able also to protrude the metathorax and 1st abdominal 

 segment, but as a matter of fact rarely does so normally. The case is 

 composed of white silk, to which are attached minute pieces of stone 

 and lichen. This gives a considerable range of variation in the colour 

 of the cases, evidently depending on the colour of the lichens which 

 the larvae mix with the silk to form the case. The case is so made 

 that the upper surface is much more rounded than the lower, and 

 although the smaller cases appear to be held up at about an angle of 

 30°-45° when the larva is walking, the larger cases are held somewhat 

 flatly, often quite on the surface upon which the larva crawls, and are 

 only raised when tbe larva takes a step forward and pulls the case after 

 it [Described March 20th, 1899, from cases sent from Guernsey] . 

 Zeller describes the case as 3'" long, conical, broadest before the 

 middle, becoming gradually pointed towards the end, thinner at the 

 anterior (head) end, entirely without keels, slightly bent, dark grey, 

 covered with fine particles of chalk, most plentifully towards the 

 anterior end. Bacot notes the case as being short, shaped like a cow- 

 horn, and covered with small scraps of lichen, grains of sand, mortar, &c, 

 and dark grey in colour. M. de la Voye describes the case as " grisatre 



