Sept., 1891.] 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



elsewhere as to the accuracy of the records of former captures of O. 

 pilosellce and 0. hievacii in this country. Special interest, therefore, 

 attaches to the re-discovery of the former species this year. My old 

 friend, Mr. Sydney Webb, has forwarded specimens taken by himself 

 near Dover, which agree most accurately, not only with older British 

 specimens in my collection, but with German examples sent me long 

 ago by the late Professor Zeller. That these Dover specimens are 

 genuine pilosellce does not, I think, admit of the smallest doubt 

 (" Entomologist's Monthly Magazine," XXV., p. 451). It has a much 

 more northerly range than distans and is found in Scandinavia, being 

 included in Herr Wallengren's list, published more than 30 years ago. 



0. hievacii. — This is probably the rarest " plume "(unless we except 

 brachydactyhis) which inhabits Britain. Mr. South, on the strength of 

 a specimen sent from Dr. Staudinger, as this species, came to the con- 

 clusion that hieracii must be pilosell^ although he had no British 

 example of either species ("Entomologist," Vol. XXII., p. 33). I 

 was myself entirely ignorant of this species until reading Mr. C. G. 

 Barrett's instructive diagnoses of the species of this genus (" Ento- 

 mologist's Monthly Magazine," Vol. XXV., p. 431), when, critically 

 comparing my own doubtful specimens of this genus, I found I had a 

 specimen taken by Mr. Coverdale, in Surrey, 1881, which was most 

 probably this species, being almost the same colour as parvidactyla . 

 My specimen has a strong superficial resemblance to that species, but 

 is as large as pilosellcf,, so that the species might be easily overlooked. 



Synonymy — Hieracii, Zell. " Isis " (1841), 827, PI. 4-5, 2021, 

 " Linn. Ent. Zeit.," VI., 350 ; H.-S., 14, V., p. 371 ; Frey, 408. 

 Didactyla, Zett. " Ins. Lap.," 1013. 



Imago — As mentioned above, hieracii is almost like a very large 

 parvidactyla, somewhat similar in colour, but perhaps a little redder. 

 There is a whitish blotch at the end of the cleft between the lobes and 

 two white fasciae crossing the lobes. The first fascia is almost or 

 quite perpendicular, very distinct, and clearly defined in the upper 

 lobe, but indistinct and scarcely traceable in the lower ; the outer 

 fascia is very slender but clearly defined, the plumules of the hinder 

 wing are distinctly paler, the third with a dark tuft placed at some 

 little distance from the tip. Stainton's short diagnosis of the species 

 is: — "9"' -10'". Forewings brown, with a white spot at the fissure; 



