1890.] 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



55 



but no more than the mere record of their names. Further progress in 

 this direction was therefore barred, and enquiry was resumed in re- 

 ference to another old York collection, that of the late Mr. Cook, 

 whose cabinet, now in the possession of his son, discloses n examples 

 of the insects, carefully labelled John Sang, Darlington, 1878 In the 

 diary of the late John Sang, I find the following entry : — 



"July 28th, 1861, Castle Eden and Blackhalls. Blandina, Artax- 

 erxes, Simulata, Annulatella, Instabiella, Sobrinata, Obscuvata, Bipnnic- 

 taria, Incamatana, Marmorella, Insignitella,, larva Dromedarins." 



This entry it will be observed bears date prior to the issue of the 

 Annual for 1862, the preface to which is dated 23rd December, 1861. 

 These specimens therefore appear to be the first taken in this country. 

 In confinement some of the imagines emerge in the Autumn, and if 

 Mr. Sang found them as early as July, many of them might do so, for 

 I have had them so emerge from mines collected late in September. 

 It is quite possible therefore that the " British specimens " believed to 

 be Allis' collections in December, 1861 were part of those found by 

 Mr. Sang in the previous July. The date in Sang's diary is a very 

 early one. Subsequent dates are as follows : — August 10th, 1862. 

 October 18th, 1878. September 13th, 1880. 



Mr. Stainton who has taken much trouble to assist me in this in- 

 vestigation, has sent me a a letter of Mr. Sang's, dated July 30th, 

 1861, in which he enumerates most of the species above named as 

 being taken " at Castle Eden a few days since," but in which he 

 makes no mention of insignitella. Mr. Sang was in the habit of 

 making entries in his diary in pencil, and writing in ink afterwards. 

 Mr. Stainton suggests " that in all probability Allis sent me a box of 

 insects for determination, perhaps without any indication of the origin 

 of the several specimens, and that I therein found some Litho. insig- 

 nitella. When Allis got this information from me, he would probably 

 impart to Sang and thus the latter would be able to fill in the name in 

 his diary." This seems an exceedingly probable explanation, and it 

 would also explain how Mr. Stainton came to say " I believe Mr. Allis 

 has British specimens of this insect." Mr. Stainton however has not 

 found any letters from Allis in 1861. 



In Merrin's " Lepidopterist's Calendar," I find the image of L. 

 insignitella recorded as occuring in June at " Castle Eden, Scarbro', 

 Windermere." In May it is entered as occuring at " Castle Eden, 

 &c." Mr- Merrin is unable to give me any clue to his authority for 



