174 
THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
extinct ; but, on the other hand, I am 
not going to admit that the actual 
existence of such beings shows the truth 
or error of the theory. I content myself 
at present with demurring to the applica- 
tion of the term “lickspittle” to beetles 
in the nests of ants and wasps ; in the 
former of these cases the “ licking,” where 
it has been observed at all, has been 
on the part of the hosts and not of the 
guests. 
The association of the larvae of certain 
different species of Gelechia with certain 
different species of Phycidea is something 
new, and is very curious, being quite un- 
like the habits of any of the Gelechia, 
although it is true they are very varied. 
There is not, as far as I can recollect, 
any record of the larvte of a Gelechia 
feeding upon animal substance, and I do 
not think those of the species referred to 
eat the “frass” of tire Phyculece. The 
larva of one species, G. luculella, we 
know, feeds on decaying oak-wood, and 
it is possible that our new friends may 
like the taste of incipient decay in the 
leaves which have been operated on by 
the Phycidea. Even in that case I 
should look upon the presence of the 
Gelechia larvas in the habitations of the 
Phycidea as somewhat accidental, con- 
sidering that they had merely taken ad- 
vantage of such an assemblage of leaves 
as affording them a ready-made shelter 
and facility of obtaining their favourite 
kind of food. If it be not so, and the 
leaves are the food, we must believe that 
the parent Gelechia occupies a very con- 
fidential position in the household of the 
Phycidea, a dame de la cour, that she 
attends her patroness when she selects a 
site for the deposition of her eggs, and 
so is enabled to follow the august ex- 
ample set her, and to deposit her own 
ecr<r S in convenient ambush for the in- 
stincts of her progeny. This would be 
rather too much to credit. I should like 
to know how many of the Gelechia larvte 
are found in a nest, and if the perfect 
iusect also frequents it. 
Yours, &c., 
J. W. Douglas. 
Lee, Feb. 21, 1860. 
WANTED, A LEI’IDOPTEIUST’S 
CALENDAR. 
To the Editor of the ‘Intelligencer.' 
Sir,— How it made my mouth water 
to hear what a nice handy little book 
the Frenchmen have got from M. Dey- 
rolle! As usual, the slow Britisher is 
left all behind, and no one to pity 
him — far less lend him a hand to assist 
him out of his difficulties. 
Time was when you, Mr. Editor, were 
always foremost to see our.wants, and to 
meet them too. Bui, they tell me, you 
have taken to the literary line lately, and 
I expect I recognised your style in a 
recent number of the ‘ Saturday Review.’ 
This is really too bad of you, to whom 
we have so confidingly entrusted all our 
interests — as I do all my entomological 
lucubrations. 
Well then you turn round and say, 
“Grumbler, what do you want?” Let 
me answer, and don’t brush my request 
aside with a quiet commendation or re- 
buke, as the case may be. I am a 
