184 



THE YOUNG 



NATUEALIST. 



logical Magazine," for March, 1S65. More 

 recently it has been taken on the south 

 coast by more than one collector, some of 

 whom have been fortunate enough to obtain 

 the larva and breed the insect. Mr. Tug- 

 well, one of these fortunate ones Cperhaps 

 only fortunate because they worked harder), 

 kindly gave me a pair he had bred from 

 larvs found at Deal, which, when the supply 

 of their natural food (Silene nutans) failed, 

 had eaten the seeds of Siletie vitjlata I have 

 never seen any specimens of this insect that 

 had been taken as imagines in this country, 

 and those reared in captivity have all been 

 racher smaller than continental types. Con- 

 tinental examples also, so far as my experi- 

 ence goes, are much paler in colour, having 

 more of the olive brown, which is of a paler 

 shade ; the white stigmata are larger, and 

 the black marks smaller and fewer in num- 

 ber. This may not always be the case, but 

 those who purchase rare insects at high 

 prices will do well to remember this remark. 



CoNSPERSA. — A very pretty insect. The 

 stigmata white ; the reniform clouded with 

 darker ; the inner margin mottled with 

 white, and a blotch near the tip of the same 

 colour ; the remainder of the wing clouded 

 and marbled with darker marks of at least 

 two shades, which vary from brown in 

 examples from the south of England, to 

 black in those from the north. Specimens 

 recently brought from the Shetland Isles 

 are nearly all black, only being a little 

 lighter in shade where those from other 

 localities are white. Compersa, is perhaps 

 the scarcest of the four generally-distributed 

 species, and it is seldom very abundant even 

 where it does occur. In Ireland it has been 

 very seldom taken. It has a habit not usual 

 with others of the genus, of resting on palings, 

 and I have been told of a fence near Croydon 

 some two miles long on, which the collector 

 is likely to meet with thirty or forty speci- 

 mens every day, while the species is on the 

 wing. On my collecting-ground I have only 



taken seven specimens in nearly thirty years, 

 and one of these was at rest on palings near. 

 For purposes of comparison I may say that 

 during the same period I must have taken 

 at least a couple of thousand Carpopliagcu 

 on the wing, and I never saw but one 

 on the palings. The larva is said to prefer 

 the seeds of LycJmis flos cuculi (Ragged 

 Robin) to others, and, indeed, Newman gives 

 no other food-plant. Stainton adds Silcne 

 inflata and nutans, and Wilson gives also 

 Red and White campion ( Lychnis dhiri} a 3Lnd 

 verpertina). The habits of the larva are 

 much the same as those of Carpophaga^ 

 leaving the capsule to hide under the lower 

 leaves by day, ascending by night to devour 

 the seeds with the anterior segments only 

 inserted. 



CoMPTA. — The white stigmata in this 

 species form a very clearly defined Y ; the 

 remainder of the wing is dark greyish brown, 

 an interrupted black line, bordered with 

 white, is found near the base and another 

 near the hind margin. It is less in expanse 

 of wing than any other of the genus, except 

 Cajpophaga, which is sometimes as small or 

 even smaller, and its size and the very distinct 

 white Y in the centre of the wing, will dis- 

 tinguish it at once from all others. It is 

 given in the list of the Lepidoptera of Ire- 

 land, contributed by Mr. Birchall, to the 

 third volume of the Ent. M. Mag. ; but the 

 authority for its insertion then " rested on 

 very ancient specimens," and its re-dis- 

 covery was certainly desirable. In the 

 above named Magazine, for August, i86g 

 (Vol. VI. p. 66.), may be found the follow- 

 ing paragraph : — 



" DiantlicBsia Compta^ and Barretti at 

 HomtTi- I have lately been successful in 

 capturing a few examples oi D. coinpta, and 

 several of D Barretti. Thinking that the 

 occurrence of the former especially will 

 interest your readers, I send you this note. 

 E. G. Meek, 4, Old Ford Road, E., July 

 nth, 1869." 



