THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCEE. 
failed ; we collected llie specimens we 
found in copula and some Scabiosa 
heads, on some of which both males and 
females were sittins;. We observed the 
females, both out of doors and in our 
breeding-cage, at work laying their 
eggs. 
“The flowers and seeds are the first 
abodes of the larvae ; the eggs are laid 
in the fructification of the Scabiosa 
flowers, each enclosed in a seed-capsule. 
When the interior of the seed has been 
eaten out by the larva, it immediately 
uses the husk as a case, having gnawed 
a hole at the lower truncate end of the 
husk; at this age the larva seems to 
attack other seeds, boring into them and 
eating out the contents. Two of the 
larger larvae have already made their 
large cases out of pieces of dried leaves, 
but how this process was performed has 
not yet been sufiiciently observed. Pro- 
bably the more advanced larvte feed on 
the leaves of the Scabiosa and other low 
plants. Some were observed in the act 
of gnawing a dry leaf of Lonicera Xylos- 
teum. 
“ The credit of these observations, and 
of the successful treatment of the in- 
sects, is due to my son Dr. Ottmar Hof- 
manui” 
So at last, ninety-seven years after 
Scopoli’s publication, the murder is out! 
The larvffi whilst still seed-feeders are 
to all intents and purposes invisible; an 
inhabited seed cannot be distinguished 
from one purely vegetable; the opening 
at the end is scarcely visible, and if a 
dozen seeds were placed before us of 
which six contained larvte and six con- 
tained none, we should be puzzled to 
separate them at a glance. We should 
watch them, and those from which we 
were to see the head of a larva pro- 
truding we should know were inhabited, 
and thus in a little while we could pick 
out all the tenanted husks. 
183 
To obtain these seed-feeding larvte we 
should recommend that some scores of 
seeds be placed on a sheet of white paper, 
and watched attentively for five or ten 
minutes; but the observer must be very 
quiet, as these larvte are very timorous, 
and if he moves or almost breathes the 
larv® will be afraid to venture out. 
Mr. Ashworth, who collected the heads 
in winter, was too late ; now is the time: 
the larvae quit the heads when they begin 
to make their flat leaf-constructed cases, 
and are then only to be sought for on the 
ground. 
May we not now' soon expect the 
larvae of Nemotois cupriacellus, violellus 
and minimellus to'be turned up? The 
heads of the scabious flowers where these 
moths fly should be at once collected and 
examined. Scabiosa columbaria will 
probably produce the two first-named 
species, but N. minimellus probably 
favours the Scabiosa succisa. — H. T. 
Statnton, Mountsjield, Lewisham, S.E. ; 
September 1, 1860. 
PROPOSAL FOR A JUDICIAL 
COMMITTEE. 
To the Editor of the ‘ Intelligencer.' 
Sir,— There seems to me a great want 
of a leading authority which should have 
a recognised power to decide upon the 
claims of certain lately discovered spe- 
cies, — I mean, as to whether such species 
should hold a permanent place in our 
English lists. 
For instance, the new Clear-wing 
which has been lately taken by George 
King near Torquay. There are many, 
I understand, who altogether doubt the 
capture. I am not of their number, 
having good and sufficient reason to 
