1892.] 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



79 



state. The following larvae may be taken this month (April) : — S. 

 olivalis, in a slight web under the leaves of ground ivy ; T. fostcvana, 

 in curled-up ivy leaves; 5. rohorana, in shoots of rose; E. fceiieana and 

 simpliciana, in roots of Avtemesia vulgaris', C. stvobilana, in fir cones 

 D. petiverana, in roots of yarrow ; S. leplastriniia, in stems of wild 

 cabbage ; X. zcegaua, in roots of scabious ; and E. ttdana, in stems of 

 water plantain [Alisiiia plantago). The long slender cases of Psuedo- 

 houibycella may now be found on palings in shady places, and the 

 short, round, mealy-looking cases of X. rnelauella on licheny trunks of 

 trees in open parts of woods ; the withered shoots of currant trees 

 betrays the presence of the larva of L. capitella ; and in the shoots of 

 raspberry the larva L. rubiella. P. porrectella is common in some 

 places on leaves and in the close shoots of garden rocket {Hespevia 

 mat roil alts), and Gel. vulgclla on hawthorn, betvv^een united leaves ; 

 Gel. anthyllidella in shoots of Anthyllis vidncravia ; and in the shoots of 

 honeysuckle the larva of Gel. inoiiffetella. The large bladdery-like 

 mines of the larva of Gvac. tvingipennella are now to be seen in leaves 

 of plantain, and in cones on leaves of Hypericum. The larva of Grac. 

 auroguttella, Col. pyrhulipeniiella, and juiicicolella can now^ be swept from 

 heath ; and the cases of Col. solitariella are easily found by the 

 blotched appearance of Stellaria holostea ; in the leaves of Heliautheinuni 

 valgare the larva of Eav. niiscella is now busily feeding, and in the 

 leaves of reed at the sides of ponds and ditches the larva of E. cerussella 

 are forming their long narrow mmes, w4nle those of Bucc. auriinaculella 

 will be found mining the leaves of Chrysanthetiiuni lencantlieinuui in 

 long galleries which they will now soon quit to feed on the leaves 

 externally. These and many others will reward the exertions of all 

 those students who are really in earnest. — Geo. Elisha, Shepherdess 

 Walk, London. 



Black var. of Phigalia pilosaria. -On the afternoon of March 7th, 

 I by accident noticed a dark looking insect, with wings thrown back 

 showing the under sides to be of a uniform dark colour, drying itself 

 on the trunk of a lime tree, as if larva had feed on lateral shoots 

 projecting from the trunk and pupated at the foot, had emerged, and 

 crawled to about two feet to dry itself. After allowing it an hour, I 

 transferred it to killing bottle, and found the upper wings of soot 

 black, showing distinctly the shining and deeper black veins and 

 discoidal spots ; the under wings of dark, smoky grey, with fringe of 

 a lighter tint. Notwithstanding that the summer of 1891 was here 

 damp and sunless to a great extent, autumn wet, and winter up to 

 now rather a frosty one with plenty of snow% P. pilosaria has appeared 

 earlier and more plentiful than I liave seen for the last five years. — 

 W . Brooks, The Grange, Rotiicrharn, March 14th. 



Hybernia leucophearia. — On February 13th there being no direct 



