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THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



that he did not state that, without his own expressed three possible doubts. 

 Surely if he doubted, knowing (as no one else could know) what steps he had 

 taken to avoid any (accidental) error, others, like myself, fully believing in 

 the distinctness of Meliloti, and that idea or notion being based on a pretty 

 considerable experience of the insect in its Forest haunt, it was only natural 

 perhaps that we too should doubt, and await a more positive information, that 

 has never been given, so that possibly in nearly every collection of lepidoptera 

 in England, the insect stands as Z. meliloii. If Mr. T. M. Briggs had stated 

 as a proved fact that Meliloti of the New Forest was only stunted Trifolii, 

 none knowing him would have doubted his statement. But if he was 

 not certain in 1875, by what process of reasoning is he positive now? as I 

 do not gather that he has any fresh experience on the subject. 



I tried to breed the species in 1872-3, but all my larvse died in the spring. 

 Mr. Briggs living in the country was more favoured in atmosphere, fee, but 

 even his loss was very considerable, only breeding 3 per cent. 



But, admitting that Mr. T. M. Briggs* breeding experiments were con- 

 clusive (that was not claimed by Mr. Briggs at the time) and that our Meli- 

 loti was only a dwarf or stunted form of Z. trifolii, still we have it on the 

 great authority of Mr. H. Doubleday that this form was Z. meliloti, Esp. 

 (vide " Entomologist/' Yol. 6, p. 185.) There Mr. Doubleday states, " This 

 most certainly is Z. meliloti, Esp., &c, fee, Up to this present time I have 

 seen no proof whatever, that our New Forest insect is not Meliloti, Esp. If 

 Mr. Briggs has proved (?) that, it must fall from its position as a species to 

 a variety only. Even then, I take it, that it would stand on our list as Z. tri- 

 folii, var. meliloti, Esp., and that it would be quite unnecessary to create a 

 new name ytenensis, Briggs. 



It comes as a surprise to me to learn that the Zygsenidae require shade ? 

 In my experience the whole genus are sun lovers, such as upland dry mea- 

 dows, hills, open rides in woods, &c, even the larger marsh form of Trifolii, 

 although found in wet spots, it is always in the open full sunshine one meets 

 with it. Zygcena exulans has little chance of covering shade, save the stunted 

 crisp heather that crackles under your feet as you walk over its bare hill-side 

 habitat, or the little trailing azalea a few inches high. It is no alteration of 

 district that has destroyed the haunt for Meliloti, it is rather the fact of its only 

 frequenting the open rides, where, by its sluggish habits it is so easily cap- 

 tured by so many too eager collectors. It is quite needless to seek other 

 and at best very problematical causes for its disappearance. The self-same 

 agency has destroyed Aporia cratagi in the Forest, for the same reason, viz., 

 over zeal in collecting an easily captured species. 



6, Lewisham Road t Greemvich, June 4th , 1888, 



