148 



variety of ferrugata, and a good example of melanism, as it occurs only in 

 Northern Europe, and none have yel occurred in the Southern United States 

 soulh of Massachusetts, though our knowledge of the distribution of this 

 species in America is exceedingly imperfect. 



The localities of ferrugaria (not including unidentaria), given by Stau- 

 dinger, are as follows: Europe (excluding Andalusia, Sardinia, and Greece); 

 Bithinia; Altai Mountains; and Amur. 



Larva. — "The eggs arc generally laid on tin' stems of ground-ivy {Gle- 

 choma hederacea), on the leaves of which plant the caterpillars feed. The 

 period in the egg-state varies from ten to twenty days, according to the tem- 

 perature; the cold enst winds, which so frequently prevail in the spring, 

 greatly retarding their emergence. The full-fed caterpillar rests with the 

 anterior extremity rigidly extended, but often in a slightly-arched position. 

 When annoyed, it lucks in its head, and rolls up the anterior part of its body 

 in the form of the Ionic volute The legs are crowded together and closely 

 appressed to the mouth : the head is prone, not conspicuously notched on the 

 crown, and nearly of the same width as the body; the body is of nearly the 

 same width throughout, and uniformly cylindrical, with the exception of a 

 lateral skin-fold, which extends its whole length : it is without humps, but, in 

 common with the head, has a few small scattered warts, each of which emits 

 a single small bristle: the head is putty-colored, freckled with black on the 

 lace, and having a darker stripe on each cheek; the color of the dorsal area 

 of the body, as far as the ninth segment, is dingy-brown, bill tins hue appears 

 to be caused by the somewhat tessellated ornamentation: this consists, in the 

 first place, of n medio-dorsal stripe, narrow and almost thread-like, on the 

 third, fourth, fifth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth segments; on the sixth, sev- 

 enth, eighth, and ninth segments, the medio-dorsal stripe is interrupted, and 

 reduced to a median, intensely black, spot ; each of these black spots is sur- 

 rounded by a paler area, dilated laterally, but attenuated at the extremities; 

 a dorsal series of lozenge-shaped markings results as far as regards these four 

 segments; on each side of this dorsal ornamentation are three slender rivulet 

 slripes, all of them sesquialterous or semi-double, but neither of them very 

 conspicuous; the ventral area, extending to and including the spiracles, is 

 putty-colored, but the spiracles i hemselves are intensely black, and surrounded 

 by a paler area : there is a medio-ventral, pale-brown, or reddish stripe, con- 

 taining three black spots, and extending from the fifth to the twelfth segment; 



