THE QUERIST. 287 



going to preserve it for Mr. Landon. — Gervask F. Mathews, Raleigh 

 House, Pilton, near Barnstaple, North Devon. 



fjIB (flntrist. 



As Mr. Stainton does not believe what Mr. Greene says about the larvae 

 of Lithosia feeding occasionally upon other food than lichens, he will 

 probably not believe me; but as other entomologists may perhaps be less 

 sceptical, I will give them the benefit of my own experience. Two years 

 ago, in the month of July, I found two larvje of a Lithosia crawling up 

 the stem of a young poplar tree, in Buckinghamshire; they resembled the 

 common L. complanula, but the general colour was considerably paler. The 

 undergrowth being principally sallow, I tried whether they would eat it; 

 they did so freely, and I therefore never gave them any other food. They 

 fed up, spun, and produced a pair of Lithosia griseola in August. If this 

 is not conclusive evidence I do not know what is. I have also bred the 

 common Lithosia complanula from larvae fed solely on crab. In the last 

 No. of the "Manual," Mr. Stainton says that the larvae of Ceropacha ridens 

 and Jlavicornis are only found in September. Now my own experience has 

 been that the larvae of these two insects are full fed in the middle and 

 towards the end of July. The moths are both very early in their appear- 

 ance — March, April, and May — and I very much doubt if any one ever took 

 the larvae of either insect in September, and very rarely, if ever, in August. 

 It is possible that a stray one may occasionally occur in the latter month, 

 but on examination it will in all probability be found to be ichneumoned, 

 or otherwise diseased. At any rate, September is most certainly not the 

 month to look for them. The larvae of Ceropacha jlavicornis is not un- 

 common in most places on birch trees in June and July; and C. ridens 

 I have beaten off oaks in July, in Kent and Herts. It is not at all a 

 common larva. They both spin the leaves together, like the nest of the 

 Ceropacha ridens, only slightly; Flavicornis makes a regular house for itself, 

 and comes out to feed at night. Mr. Stainton also, I observe, says that 

 the larva Leucania lithanjip^ia feeds upon chickweed and plaintain. I should 

 feel extremely obliged to any of your readers if they will inform me if 

 they have ever taken the larva of this insect on either of these plants. 

 I found it in some plenty this spring in May, by searching at night with 

 a lanthern along the sides of the ridings in the Hampshire woods. Although 

 there were numerous plants growing abundantly, I never by any chance 

 saw the larva feeding upon anything but grass. As soon as it gets dark, 

 they usually crawl up to the tops of the blades of grass, and begin to 

 feed: they do not appear to be particular as to the species of grass. At 

 the same time and place, and feeding upon the same food, I took the 

 larvae of Hipparchia janira, galatea, and hyperanthus, and Leucania impura. 



