342 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



Comparison of Whitteeia retiella with W. undulella. — W. 

 undulella is described by Fischer von Koslerstamm as follows : 



Psyche undulella, Tr. (Tab. 38, fig. Ba-c). Antennis pectinatis, alis omnibus 

 rotundatis albis fusco-reticulatis. This true Psyche is a discovery of Kindermann, 

 who found a few males at Buda several years ago. It is one of the prettiest 

 Psychids, white throughout except that the strongly pectinated antennae and the 

 nervures of all the wings are brown-grey in colour, and between the nervures stand 

 two more or less distinct transverse streaks which give the whole surface a reticu- 

 lated appearance. The fringes are pure white, and at their bases there are, on the 

 nervures, grey dots which are most strongly marked towards the costa, becoming 

 fainter (or entirely absent) towards the inner margin. The underside is like the 

 upper but fainter (Abbild. Schmett., pp. 86-87). 



Our own notes read as follows : W. undulella has 19 joints to the 

 antennas ; the wings are paler than those of W. retiella, the dark 

 reticulation less pronounced, and hence the former looks a more 

 delicate species than the latter. This is perhaps more particularly due 

 to the fact that the nervures, sometimes a conspicuous feature in the 

 reticulation, of W. retiella, are scarcely darkened in W. undulella. W. 

 undulella is, too, rather larger, although, of course, both species vary in 

 this respect. Bruand, strangely enough, does not compare retiella 

 with undulella, although he notes it as having "the same shaped wings 

 as undulella, reticulatella and pulla, the male being scarcely half that 

 of reticulatella in size, the colour more diaphanous, the strigae brown ; 

 the posterior wings especially in the middle tessellated ; the nervures 

 ending on the margins in dark dots." As a matter of fact there is no 

 close connection at all between retiella and reticulatella, the latter being a 

 Bruandia, but the alliance between retiella, undulella and j^dla is a 

 very close one. 



Egglaying. — There is no record of how this species lays its eggs, but 

 we have a note to the effect that " the eggs (when fertilised) are laid in a 

 close mass within the case, but most of the unfertilised females lay 

 only a few eggs and these often outside the case. A fertilised female 

 that had laid all her eggs collapsed at once like an empty bag." 

 This we have no doubt is correct, although we are not sure of its 

 origin, but Bacot notes that all the 2 s he " observed, came out of 

 their cases and laid their eggs outside, mostly only two or three in- 

 fertile eggs, although one female laid an irregular mass of eggs, of con- 

 siderable size." This is exactly what one would suspect unfertilised 

 females of this species to do. Whittle has no doubt that the eggs are 

 laid in nature within the case, as young larvaa have hatched from col- 

 lected cases, so that the eggs must have been within the cases when 

 found. 



Ovum. — The eggs are large, ovoid, 1-lmm. long, - 7mm. wide. 

 They are pale yellow, very shiny, and glistening, possibly still coated 

 with a gummy substance, as they adhere to each other when laid. 

 They are exceedingly fragile and delicate (a slight touch with a 

 camel-hair brush is enough to rupture them), rather irregular in 

 shape, but roughly forming a long oval in outline ; they vary, 

 however, in the shape of the oval (pointed or blunt at the 

 ends) and are occasionally pear-shaped. No regular sculpturing 

 observable, but slight facets and longitudinal ridges or wrinkles may 

 be distinguished (Bacot). 



Case. — Length 6mm. -10mm. or with projecting straws 9mm.- 

 15mm. ; appear to be covered with grass stems, certainly very like the 



