198 The Scottish Naturalist. 



fig. 36-43 ; Stephens, III. Brit. Ent. vii. 43, 7 ; Thomson.. 

 Hymen. Scand. i. 173, 3. 



With the exception of Dahlbom's remark, in the above cited 

 work, of " Ova pallida subtestacea," I have not been able to 

 discover any observations regarding the earlier stages of Athalia 

 rosce. The larvae I have found to feed on Erysimum, Sisym- 

 brium, and other cruciferous plants ; and in their general habits 

 they do not differ materially from those of the too-well-known 

 Athalia spinarum, except that they are not gregarious to any 

 extent. Otherwise the similarity between the two is very close. 



Larva. Head small, partly inserted into the second segment ; 

 deep shining black, covered with short microscopic hairs. Feet 

 and sixteen claspers black, with the tips of the latter white. 

 Anal clasper, if it can be called such, entirely white. Upper 

 parts of the body to the spiracles lead-coloured ; below the 

 spiracles it is whitish. The skin is much wrinkled and folded, 

 hairless, but beset with small tubercles. After moulting the 

 mouth is whitish, and the body entirely of a pale slate colour. 

 Length, 6-7 lines. 



My specimens spun small thin brown cocoons in the earth, 

 from which the perfect insects escaped by cutting off one end. 

 I am not quite sure whether the species is double-brooded or 

 not. Full fed larvae are met with at the end of July, and from 

 a batch found at that time some of the perfect insects made 

 their appearance four or five weeks afterwards, but the remainder 

 did not change till the following spring. 



Imago. Antennae black. Head black ; mouth white ; palpi 

 testaceous ; tips of mandibles black. Thorax black above ;. 

 pronotum and wing-scales luteous. Cenchri white. Abdomen 

 luteous yellow, black at the base, and with a black spot on the 

 last segment. Feet of the colour of the abdomen ; the tibiae 

 with a white down ; the apex of the tibiae and each joint of the 

 tarsi black ; the remainder of the tarsi white. Wings yellowish 

 at the base ; the costa and stigma black ; the former yellowish 

 at the base. Nervures yellowish at base, black at the tips of the 

 wings. The antennae, head, and thorax covered with white down. 



Numerous deviations from the above description are met 

 with. The antennae are sometimes pale underneath ; the 

 breast either entirely, or more or less spotted with black ; and 

 the anterior feet are often without the black markings on the 

 tibiae and tarsi. The male does not differ from the female 



