Heer, in the introduction to the lepidopterous portion of his “Insektenfauna der Tertiärgebilde von Œningen,” says (p. 175): “Karg erwähnt zwar eines sehr schönen Œninger-Schmetterlings, der nach Zürich gekommen sein soll. Allein hier findet sich dieser nicht und die Angabe verliert noch mehr an Werth, wenn wir berücksichtigen, dass Karg das Thier nicht selbst gesehen hat.” Karg’s memoir in the “Denkschriften der Schwäbischen Gesellschaft der Aerzte und Naturforscher,” T. I., I have been unable to examine.
Boisduval, in his final report upon Neorinopis sepulta, remarks that Count Saporta had written him that many years previously he had sent to the Paris Museum a “Polyommate fossile” from Aix. Count G. de Saporta, in reply to my inquiries concerning this specimen, says that his father can give me no further information concerning this specimen; nor could M. Oustalet and myself, in our search through the fossil insects of the Jardin des Plantes, discover any such relic.
In a recent number of “Nature” (No. 266), Mr. E. J. A’Court Smith writes of the discovery at Gurnet Bay in the Isle of Wight, of an insect bed in which were found, among other things, “a variety of flies, butterflies, and one or two grasshoppers;” no further information has yet been published concerning these relics, and my inquiries upon the subject have not, as yet, elicited any definite response.
NOTICE OF INSECTS WHICH HAVE BEEN ERRONEOUSLY REFERRED IN RECENT TIMES TO BUTTERFLIES.
1. Cyllonium Boisduvalianum Westw., and C. Hewitsonianum Westw.
Fig. 2.
Cyllonium Boisduvalianum Westw.
These two insects were figured by Westwood in the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London for November, 1854, the former (reproduced in our fig. 2) on Pl. XVII, fig. 17; the latter (reproduced in our fig. 3) on Pl. XVIII, fig. 27. Of the former he makes the following remarks:[AX] “Pl. XVII, fig. 17 represents a number of fragments of delicate tegument, covered with minute punctures and traversed by straight and somewhat radiating veins, which appear like portions of the hind wing of some species of Butterfly, entirely denuded of scales.” The name is given to it in a note to the explanation of the plates, p. 395. Concerning the second he says:[AY] “Pl. XVIII, figs. 27 and 30, appear to be portions of the hind wings of some species of Butterfly; still they have very much of a vegetable aspect. The surface is covered with minute punctures, which may be the cells for the insertion of the quills of the coloured scales, which are all removed, supposing the specimens to be Lepidopterous.” The name we have quoted is given only to fig. 27, in a foot note on p. 396.