260 Proceedings of the 



Late in October 1855, when the leaves were rapidly departing from the - 

 trees, I found the active, green, fusiform larvae of Swammerdamia grU 

 seo-capitella, in abundance on the dwarf birches at Ravelrig Bog, along 

 with the larvae of PJrfceodes frutetana ; and forming circular mines in the 

 birch leaves, somewhat like those made in the leaves of apple and pear 

 trees by the brilliant little Cemiostoma scitella, were a few unknown 

 larvae of a Nepticula, which produced in 1856, N. argentipedella, almost 

 at the same time that Mr Stainton bred the species from larvae collected 

 in England by Mr Wilkinson. At the same time and place, a small lar- 

 va was found mining in the birch leaves, and finally cutting out an oval 

 case, in which it descended to the ground to complete its transformations. 

 This curious little artificer produced in June, Tinea bistrigella — an in- 

 sect already in our list, but of which the transformations were unknown, 

 until the larva was detected in the south of England in 1855, by Mr Boyd.* 



A single specimen of Scoparia pallida was taken in the marsh at the 

 west end of Duddingston Loch, on the 11th of July 1856 ; and on the 24th 

 the larvae of Notodonta Ziczac, Hypermecia angustana, and Chesias 

 Spartiata were found in the vale of the Heriot ; the two former on sal- 

 low, the latter on its natural food the common broom. 



The remaining species added during the two past seasons are — G-racil- 

 laria elongella ; which is not scarce in many places during the autumn ; 

 and must feed on other trees besides the alder. Lithocolletis Scopa- 



riella, taken at Heriot in July, among broom. Nepticula 1 — ? reared 



from mountain-ash, in the spring. Nepticula anomalella, mining in 

 the leaves of the Chinese rose {Rosa indica) at Duddingston ; and pre- 

 viously taken at Balgreen : and lastly, the old mines of Nepticula Tity- 

 rella have been detected this year, by Mr Shield, in the leaves of a 

 beech hedge, between Threipmuir and Balerno. 



Early in May 1856, I bred three specimens of Eupithecia Helveti- 

 caria of Boisduval, from green larvae found on the common juniper, on 

 the Pentlands, in the autumn of 1855. I had met with the insect in former 

 years, and suspected it might prove to be a new species. It was not until 

 Mr Doubleday sent specimens to M. Guenee ; and thus ascertained that 

 it was already named on the Continent, that I discovered I had overlooked 

 Boisduval's description of the insect, which he says was bred by Herr 

 Anderregg, in Switzerland, from larvae found on Juniperus Sabina. The 

 Messrs Wilson found several of the larvae on the Pentlands last autumn, 

 some of which, from being kept in the house, produced the perfect insects 

 in the month of February. 



Another very interesting species of the genus Eupithecia, was found 

 in some numbers, by the Messrs Wilson, although it is not new to the 

 district, having been taken near Edinburgh many years ago by Mr Curtis ; 

 and one of its apparent varieties, on several occasions of late years, by 

 Dr Lowe and myself. I allude to the large and handsome Eupithecia 



* I have some slight doubts as to whether the larvae found by Mr Boyd are iden- 

 tical with those above mentioned. 



