SCOPULA FERRUGALLS. 177 



with single hairs pointing a little forwards, are visible 

 down the back of the thorax and abdomen; the sur- 

 face of the head, thorax, and wing-covers, and last 

 ring of abdomen are brilliantly glossy, the other seg- 

 ments dull ; the colour is black, save in the segmental 

 divisions, which are shining brown. (William Buckler, 

 8th January, 1878 ; E.M.M., February, 1878, XIV, 

 200—204.) 



SCOPULA DECREPITALIS. 



We are indebted to Dr. T. A. Chapman, of Burghill, 

 Hereford, for the discovery of the larva of this species. 

 In June of last year, 1886, Dr. Chapman captured 

 specimens of the moth in Scotland, Hying among 

 Asplenium filix-fcemina and Lastrcea spinulosa, and 

 from some of the females was fortunate enough to ob- 

 tain eggs. These duly hatched, and after seeing that 

 the young larva3 fed and were making satisfactory 

 progress, Dr. Chapman most kindly shared them with 

 myself, Mr. Jeffrey, and, I believe, also the late Rev. 

 John Hellins. Those entrusted to my care fed on 

 well, but, unfortunately, they apparently reached full 

 growth during my absence from home, and, evidently 

 from mismanagement at this time, on my return I 

 found some of them dead, and the others nearly so, 

 having probably been drowned by the excess of 

 moisture which had accumulated inside their glass, in 

 their wanderings to find suitable places in which to 

 spin up. Some of Dr. Chapman's and Mr. Jeffrey's 

 larva? did spin up, but the imagos not emerging in 

 the early summer, it was found that the larvse had 

 died without changing to pupse. At the end of last 

 month (August, 1887) Dr. Chapman was again in 

 Scotland, and after a long search managed to find 

 three larvse in slightly spun webs under leaves of L. 

 spinulosa, exactly in the position he expected to find 

 them, and on the fern which he had become convinced 

 was really the natural food. 



VOL. ix. 12 



