JCJC^ [November. 



" green one, which feeds on the so-called Kienschroten* This changes to a pupa, 

 " from which, when one places it near the ear, one can distinctly hear a creakingf 

 " noise. Whence this proceeds, and by what means these pupae produce it, I cannot 

 " yet determine, but will endeavour to find out. Probably several pupse may have 

 " this peculiarity, only it has not hitherto been observed. These pupse produce a 

 " small butterfly, with six legs, and blackish-brown wings, the entire under-side of 

 "which is of a pleasant green." — Eds.] 



On the habits of the larva of Pempelia formosa, Saworth. — In 1847, 1 recorded, 

 in the Zoologist, p. 1915, the captui-e of " upwards of thirty specimens of Phycita 

 "formosa, at Lewisham, by means of light, July 10th to 31st." In subsequent years, 

 several others came to light, always about the same time. In 1851, I obtained two 

 specimens by beating hedges, which were principally elm, on the 5th July. However, 

 till this year I was unacquainted with the larva of this pretty species. 



Kaltenbach, in his " Pflanzenfeinde," mentions amongst the elm-feeders (p. 538) 

 that, " Herr v. Heyden found the larva on elms, the middle of June," and adds, 

 "the imago flies at the beginning of October," apparently reversing the times of 

 appearance of the larva and imago. 



E. Hofmann, in his " Kleinschmetterlingsraupen," p. 16, repeats the statement 

 that "v. Heyden found the larva on elms, the middle of June," but gives the time 

 of appearance of the imago correctly, as " July." 



To Mr. Buckler we are indebted for a detailed notice of the larva, which will 

 be found in the 7th volume of this magazine, at p. 14. Mr. Buckler received his 

 larvEB July 2l8t and August 19th, and they were full-fed between August 20th and 

 September 15th ; the moths appearing from July 12th to 17th the following year. 



About the 20th September, I noticed on some elm leaves, a considerable amount 

 of white web just over the mid-rib, but I failed to detect any larvfe, though quite 

 expecting to find some PyraVts larva at work. On the 22nd September, I again 

 noticed those webs, and was more fortunate in finding the makers of them. I found 

 some plain green larvre, feeding quite exposed on the upper surface of the elm leaves. 

 I was quite at a loss to know to what to refer them : they were clearly no Pyrnlis 

 larva, nor could I find any suitable elm-feeding larvre amongst the NoctucB, so I 

 forwarded some to Mr. Buckler, who at once cleared up the mystery by declaring 

 they were the larvae of Pempelia formosa. 



I now sought the larvro more diligently, and from first to last I probably col- 

 lected more than fifty. I am well acquainted with the larva of Pempelia betula, 

 which feeds between united birch-leaves, in IMay, and had fully anticipated that the 

 larva of Pempelia formosa would have had a similar habit : but nothing of the sort. 

 Every larva that I found was on the upper-side of the leaf, perfectly exposed : the 

 leaf retaining its natural form, the webs placed longitudinally along the mid-rib, 



* Kienschroten may be some local name for a plant. Esper suggests that the plant meant is 

 probably (Spartium scupariam) common broom. —Eds. 



+ In the " Natnrforscher," the word is printed " kn.arrendes." Esper, who quotes a portion 

 of this sentencu from Klcemnnn (Vol. i, p. 281), prints it " knorrendes," and this misjmnt is 

 quoted by SchiM. iu the Stettin, eiit Zeit. (see note, p. 87), who adds (after referring to Esper's 

 quotation from Kleemann) : " In individual pupfe the noise sounds clearly, in .short, quick tempi, 

 " almost as though a little stone were shaken in .an empty pupa skin. This impres.-sinn is pro- 

 " duced all the .more readily, because if one moves the pupa quickly b.ackwards and forwards 

 " close to the ear, the »o\nid is the more distinctly audibB "—Els. 



