xx Mr. H. T. Stainton's 



Sp. 23. PRiECocELLA, Zeller. 

 Argyresthia praecocella, Zeller, Isis, 1839, S. 205, 16. Linn. Ent. ii. 290. 



Expansion of the wings 3f — 4f lines. Head yellowish white. Face whitish. 

 Palpi whitish. Antennae whitish, annulated with dark fuscous ; basal joint yellowish 

 white. Thorax ochraceous. Abdomen reddish fuscous. Legs whitish. Tarsi whit- 

 ish. Anterior wings ochraceous, concolorous, with a violet tint in certain lights : 

 cilia ochraceous, palest on the inner margin. Posterior wings grayish, with ochreous- 

 gray cilia. 



Zeller states that the " hinder margin of the discoidal cell of the anterior wings 

 shows a raised place, which might easily be considered a gray transverse short streak." 

 In my finest specimen there is some appearance of this, but it looks as if it arose from 

 setting the insect. 



This species closely resembles the following, but, according to Zeller, " this has 

 on the anterior wings a reddish, almost rose-coloured, gloss, which the other is entirely 

 without ; and the posterior wings of this are grayer and more acutely pointed." 



I took two specimens of this (one very fine) at Sanderstead, May 18th, this year, 

 beating them from juniper-bushes along with arceuthina. At the end of July and in 

 August the insect is common among the junipers there, but is extremely wasted : pro- 

 bably the second brood appears about the middle of July. I saw none on the 5th of 

 July. 



Zeller says of it, " Scarce ; hitherto only taken near Glogau. The first specimen, 

 a male, I took at the beginning of March, on a window, where for some days a 

 willow-branch had stood in water. I obtained a pair, together with arceuthina, from 

 juniper-bushes, in May ; and beat several, in company with Nematopogon Swammer- 

 dammellus, from the scanty fir-trees in the birch -wood at Hermsdorf." 



Sp. 24. illuminatella (F-v-R.), Zeller. 



Argyresthia illuminatella, Zeller, Isis, 1839, S. 205, 17. Linn. Ent. ii. 291. 



CEcophora illuminatella, Dup. xi. 462, pi. 305, f. 5. 



Tinea Bergiella, Ratzeburg, Forst-insekten, ii. S. 246, pi. 15, f. 4. 



" Certainly distinguished from the preceding by the more lively gloss and the 

 want of the reddish flush on the pale ochreous anterior wings, and by the broader pos- 

 terior wings. 



1 ' Size rather variable above and below praecocella : my largest male has the ante- 

 rior wings nearly 3 lines long. 



" Thorax somewhat shining, pale ochreous yellow. Head similar, without lustre. 

 Antennas distinctly annulated white and brown ; in the female (? male), towards the 

 apex, on the underside, very faintly indented : basal joint shining pale yellow, almost 

 expanded into an eye-cap. Face shining. Palpi as long as the head, yellowish, 

 thinner than in praecocella. Legs shining, pale dirty yellowish, only the anterior brown 

 on the fore-side. Abdomen grayish yellow ; on the belly more whitish. Ovipositor as 

 in praecocella, a little projecting. Anterior wings rather broad, entirely concolorous, 

 very pale ochreous yellow, with a rather lively gloss. Also here is an elevation formed 

 on the transverse nervure of the discoidal cell, which casts a little shade. Cilia less 



