The TOUHG HATUHAIIST: 



A Penny Weekly Magazine of Natural History. 



No. 118. FEBRUARY Hth, 1882. Vol. 8. 



REPUTED BRITISH LEPID- 

 OPTERA. 



THERE is an appendix to Double- 

 day's catalogue containing the 

 names of rather more than one hundred 

 species, of which he says, " The follow- 

 ing species have either been placed in 

 the British List without any authority, 

 or specimens have only occurred under 

 circumstances which rendered it pro- 

 bable that they had been accidentally 

 introduced." Of these insects several 

 have undoubtedly proved their claim to 

 be of British nationality. With others 

 various attempts have been made from 

 time to time to palm off on the unwary, 

 foreign insects for the purpose of fraud. 

 But by far the larger number remain 

 unchallenged on the "Reputed" list. 

 It is, perhaps, not easy now to trace 

 out the first record of all these insects on 

 our British list, and, doubtless, it be- 

 comes more and more difficult as time 

 goes on, and the old entomologists who 

 have the knowledge, pass away from our 

 ranks. In the batterflies not a single 

 species has proved its title to a perma- 

 nent place on our list. Among the 

 Hawk moths a few specimens of S. 

 pinastri have undoubtedly occurred, and 

 if occasional occurrence establish a 



claim, then Sphinx pinastri has so estab- 

 lished itself. But this is a point worthy 

 of separate consideration. Z. meliloii 

 is now generally recognized as British, 

 but though we have a goodly row of 

 the species in our cabinet, we really 

 know 10 little of the supposed differ- 

 ences between Tri/olii and it, either as 

 larva or imago, that we have no opinion 

 on the subject. It is named from 

 Meliloius, on which if the larva fed, «ve 

 should be content to say the case was 

 proved, but we believe it only feeds on 

 Bird's-foot trefoil. An attempt was 

 made to prove that we had two species 

 mixed in our cabinets under the name 

 of Tri/olii, one emerging a month later 

 than the other, ami occurring in a 

 different habitat. In our opinion a 

 strong case was made out, but as the 

 larva and imago could not be distin- 

 guished the matter ended there. C. hera 

 is the next species that needs reference 

 made to it. An odd specimen or two 

 have no doubt been taken, but the 

 species is so conspicuous and easily 

 found in either stage, that we may 

 safely say the records are but of acci- 

 dental occurrences. Following the 

 appendix, we now come to A. herhariata 

 which has been taken once or twice in 



