xii Mr. H. T. Staintoris 



species is contained in some of the numerous collections of Lepidoptera scattered 

 throughout the country, and would advise each collector to examine his own speci- 

 mens. 



Sp. 12. retinella, Zeller (fig. 9). 



Argyresthia retinella, Zeller, Isis, 1839, S. 205, 8. Linn. Ent. ii. 269. 

 Ederessa ocellea, Steph. Illust. iv. 251 ? 



Expansion of the wings 5 lines. Head white. Face whitish. Palpi whitish. 

 Antennae white, annulated with fuscous. Thorax white. Abdomen fuscous. Legs 

 whitish. Tarsi whitish. Anterior wings white, with numerous short, brown, trans- 

 verse streaks ; at the base of the wing, near the costa, arises a fuscous patch, which 

 extends to the middle of the wing, where it meets a fuscous fascia ; this fascia gene- 

 rally touches the costa, but is never continued to the inner margin ; beyond this 

 fascia are several short streaks on the costa, and another fuscous patch, touching 

 neither the costa nor the inner margin, extends to the apex of the wing, terminating 

 there in a black spot: cilia pale fuscous, with a darker line externally, and another 

 nearer the margin of the wing. Posterior wings fuscous, with paler cilia. 



This species, till within the last two years generally considered rare, is far from 

 uncommon in the South of England, and in Scotland is exceedingly plentiful among 

 birches, in July. Zeller states that " this species flies near Glogau, in clear leafy 

 woods, from the middle of June into July: here it frequents the lower boughs of the 

 sallow, on which the larva doubtless feeds, probably at the same time as pygmaeella. 

 They generally fly only towards evening. At the Remerz Seefeldern I took four 

 beautiful females, on Salix caprea, July 29th." 



The characters which distinguish this from the preceding are thus given by Zeller: 

 " This is most readily distinguished from the preceding by the aggregation and union 

 of the transverse streaks on the disk, beyond the middle of the anterior wings, whilst 

 in fundella the streaks are fewest on the disk and are congregated on the margins." 



My reason for rejecting Mr. Stephens's name of ocellea, by which this insect has 

 hitherto gone, is the insufficiency of his description, which would apply either to fun- 

 della or retinella : the specimens in his collection appear wasted specimens of retinella. 



Sp. 13. abdominalis, Zeller (fig. 10). 



Argyresthia abdominalis, Zeller, Isis, 1839, S. 205, 9. Linn. Ent. ii. 270. 



Expansion of the wings 4 lines. Head white. Face white. Palpi white. An- 

 tennas whitish, annulated with fuscous. Thorax white, with the sides luteous. Ab- 

 domen rufous. Legs whitish. Tarsi whitish. Anterior wings pearly white, with two 

 luteous streaks proceeding from the base, one near the costa, the other towards the in- 

 ner margin ; this latter ends abruptly a little before the middle of the wing ; that near 

 the costa is continued rather further, but is not quite so distinct ; beyond it on the 

 costa is a luteous spot, and a little beyond is another fascia-formed one nearly reach- 

 ing across the wing, and between this and the apex is yet another small one ; on the 

 inner maigin, rather beyond the termination of the basal streak which is near the 



