6062 



Insects. 



species from larvse collected in England by Mr. Wilkinson. At the 

 same time and place, a small larva was found raining 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 arti- 

 ficer produced, in June. Tinea bistrigella, an insect 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 21th the larvae of Notodonta ziczac, Hypermecia augustaua 

 and Chesias spariiata were found in the vale of the Heriot, — the two 

 former on sallow, the latter on its natural food, the common broom. 



The remaining species added during the two past seasons are — 

 Gracilaria elongella, which is not scarce in many places during the 

 autumn, and must feed on other trees besides the alder ; Lithocolletis 



Scopariella, taken at Heriot, in July, among broom ; Nepticula ? 



reared from mountain-ash, in the spring ; N. anomalella, mining 

 in the leaves of the China rose {Rosa iiidica)^ at Duddingston, and 

 previously taken at Balgreen ; and lastly, the old mines of Nepticula 

 Tityrella have been detected this year, by Mr. Shield, in the leaves 

 of a beech hedge, between Threipmuir and Balerno. 



Early in May, 1856, 1 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 1 had overlooked BoisduvaPs 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 hand- 



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

 tical wiih those above nieniioned. 



