MASONIA CRASSIOEELLA. 813 



to unite at their extremity, whilst the second and fourth lines form a sort 

 of cross, of which the points are turned towards the mandibles, and 

 between them the third (central) line, a little paler than the others, is 

 situated ; the two dots are placed at the extremity of this third line, one 

 a little above, the other a little below it. One notices the very fine grey 

 rather long hairs on the head and anterior segments, and other much 

 shorter ones on the rest of the body, the latter, however, only visible 

 under a lens (Bruand). Bruand remarks that he has given a full 

 description of the cheeks of the head, because they often offer a better 

 means of distinguishing the species, than is sometimes to be found in 

 the markings of the anterior segments. 

 Food-plant. — Grasses (Bruand). 



Habits and Habitat. — The habits of this species are practically 

 unknown, most of the examples that have fallen into our hands having 

 been sent as cases picked up when already spun down for pupation on 

 rushes, grass or fences. When the female emerges, she sits curled up 

 on the end of the case in a three-quarter circle, the ovipositor thrust 

 into the case, the head curled under ventrally and almost invisible and 

 no amount of ordinary disturbance causes her to change her position. 

 On the approach of a male she raises her abdominal segments slightly, 

 and pairing occurs almost immediately, the wings of the male are dropped 

 down roofwise and practically cover the female ; the act of copulation 

 only lasts a few minutes. The species is little known in these islands, 

 yet probably has a very wide distribution, and is possibly common in 

 some localities. Cuniy Martorell says that the males fly from 5.0 a.m.- 

 7.0 a.m. in April and May, at Barcelona, &c, the larva being found 

 abundantly in winter throughout the district, on Plantago, whilst in 

 March the spun-up cases are to be seen on walls, fences, &c. Milliere 

 says that in South France it has similar habits to those of F. 

 intermediella both in the larval and imaginal states. Rossler says 

 that in the Rheinthal there occurs on rocks and walls an insect that 

 is larger than F. nitidella, which emerges in June and entirely agrees 

 with crassiorella, Bruand. Paux notes it as rare in Emmerin Wood, 

 where cases can be obtained in April and May. 



Time of appearance. — The imago appears in Britain throughout 

 June and July, and cases brought from Locarno in April, 1899, 

 disclosed their imagines in June (Chapman), Knaggs bred examples 

 from cases found in abuudance in Hornsey Wood, in July 1867. June 

 7th, 1899, ? from case from Bournemouth. July 5th, 1899, ? bred 

 from case from Deal (Bacot). Reutti notes it as occurring from 

 May to July in Baden, Turati as appearing in May in Lombardy, and 

 Heylaerts notes breeding a male and female on July 20th and August 

 10th, 1890, from cases found at S. Martin Lantosque. Two ? s emerged 

 July 11th, 1899, from cases sent a few days previously by Dr. Chap- 

 man from Fusio. Caradja observes that at Slanic some cases were 

 found empty at the beginning of July, but emergences from others 

 continued until July 17th. 



Localities. — Dorset: Purbeck (Digby), Bournemouth (Cowl). Kent: Deal 

 (Dadd). Middlesex : Hornsey Wood (Knaggs), Bishop's Wood, Highgate (Mitford). 

 ? York : Askharn (Corbett teste Tutt). 



Distribution. — Austria: Dahnatia (Constant), Galicia (Klemensiewiez). 

 France : Saone-et-Loire (Constant), Haute-Garonne, Vallee du Lys (Caradja), 

 Doubs (Bruand), Alpes-Maritimes (Milliere), nits, around Cannes (Constant), Dept. 

 Nord (Paux), Germany ; Nassau, Rheinthal (Rossler), Ratisbon (Schniid), Alsace, 



