187T.J 115 



numbers imprisoned with sprigs of every likely plant I could think of, but to no 

 purpose : not a larva or an egg could I get. Last year, however, I received infor- 

 mation from Dr. F. Buchanan White that be had reared the moths from larvse found 

 on one of the thistles, and having obtained this clue, I hoped there might not be 

 much more difficuliy, as I was not sure that I had ever particularly searched any 

 thistles. In the spring of this year, therefore, I carefully preserved every thistle 

 plant that appeared above ground in a field I have adjoining the garden (where 

 lutealis was common last year), much to the amusement, and possibly disgust, of 

 some of my friends. The thistles grew vigorously, but although I examined them 

 minutely from time to time, no trace of lutealis could I detect. I had almost given 

 up in despair, when, on the 30th June, I had occasion to fetch in some dock leaves 

 ou which to feed larvoe. On one of the leaves I had plucked, from a plant near 

 where one of the preserved thistles was growing, I accidently saw on the under-side 

 beneath a web the larva of a Pi/ralis with which I was unacquainted. The thought 

 at once crossed my mind, " here is the long-looked-for lutealis." The appearance 

 of the imago has since pi'oved the suspicion correct. I searched long to discover 

 another larva, but without success : perhaps they had all spun up, as this was 

 evidently almost full fed. 



Length, about three-quarters of an inch, and of average bulk in proportion ; 

 head slightly polished, it has the lobes rounded, and is the same width as, or perhaps 

 a ti'ifle narrower than, the second segment ; body cylindrical, and attenuated towards 

 both extremities : it is also divided into conspicuous sections by the segmental 

 divisions, which are deeply cut all round, or, to be more strictly correct, have the 

 appearance of being so, from each segment being plump and rounded, especially at 

 the sides ; the skin has a serai-translucent glossy appcai'ance, and each tubercle emits 

 a single but noticeable hair. 



Ground colour, pale green ; head pale yellowish-brown with a few scattered 

 dark brown dots ; a conspicuous broad dark green stripe extends through the 

 dorsal area, widest on segments 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 ; on each side of this stripe and 

 edging it is an equally broad greyish-white stripe, these together forming the cater- 

 pillar's most noticeable markings ; there is also a fine greyish line along the region 

 of the spiracles ; tubercular dots dark green, the hairs grey. Ventral surface 

 uniformly pale grcyisli-grcen. 



In some respects, the larva reminds me verj' forcibly of that of Ebiilea samhucalis. 



In a week, the larva changed to pale straw-colour, and in another day had spun 

 a loose cocoon in a part of its dock leaf which had become folded against the sides 

 of its cage. Two or three days later it had changed to a pupa, and I found the 

 imago dead in the cage on my return home from a collecting expedition to the New 

 Forest, on the 9th August.— Geo. T. Porkitt, Ilighroyd House, Iluddcrsfield : 

 August nth, 1877. 



JEbulea stachydalis bred. — As Mr. Buckler's interesting account of tlio larva of 

 ^. stachydalis, at p. 134 in Vol. xiii of this Magazine, was given us before he had 

 bred the moths, and hearing he has not been fortunate in getting them out, it seems 

 well to record the rearing of a few examples by myself last month. Mr. Buckler 

 kindly revealed to me the way to find them before it was too late last September, 

 when I soon detected them freely in this part. Tlie young larva; I have already 

 found feeding, and those who want good examples should search for the larva; now, 

 as doubtless it will be found in most districts. — W. R. Jeffrey, Ashford : August 

 22nd, 1877. 



