348 THE entomologist's record. 



It did not fall from its foodplant when the rays of the lamp fell on it, 

 but ceased feeding, and rested with its anal extremity raised. The next 

 morning I found it had again hidden under the moss, but in the even- 

 ing I found it attacking the same leaf, where it had left off feeding the 

 previous night. On the third day I found it had not gone under the 

 moss, and I was at a loss to find its whereabouts for a time, but at last 

 discovered it had formed a little habitation by fastening the edges of 

 two leaves firmly together at the bottom of its foodplant. On seeing 

 this I very gently opened part of the leaves, which I found were 

 fastened together by a kind of glutinous silk, and therein discovered my 

 interesting little friend lying partly curled up and apparently very snug, 

 and I did not further disturb it. When darkness set in, it left its litde 

 house and again ascended to the top of its foodplant, and I found it 

 invariably commenced feeding from the same leaf it had left unfinished 

 at its former meal. The morning following I found it had retired 

 within its fort and closed the door, and, when once this had been done, 

 it was impossible to tell where it let itself in and out, although, by 

 careful watching, I afterwards ascertained that it always made its exit 

 or ingress at one particular spot between the edges of the leaves ! but 

 what mostly interested me was to see it each night for about a fortnight 

 leave its domicile, ramble to the end of its spray of food, and, aftei 

 having its feed, retire before the morning dawned, to its same abode. 

 It did not eat the leaves close about its place of refuge, but always 

 made its way to the top of its foodplant, and ate the leaves off clean 

 downwards. This would suggest that in a state of nature the larva 

 would be found feeding at the extreme end of the brambles. The 

 larva is a very small eater. When it had eaten up about a third of the 

 leaves from the top of the plant, I inserted a freshly cut spray, but it 

 never touched the leaves of this ; it seemed to have learnt its road to 

 and from its residence on the first piece, and it would appear as if it 

 were afraid of straying on to the new piece of bramble, which was by 

 the side of the other, for fear of not being able to find its way back. 

 It may appear strange, but I always found it on the first spray up to 

 the time it pupated, about two weeks after its capture. The cocoon 

 was made not with leaves, but with moss and sand. I was impressed 

 with the instinct such a small creature possessed, in finding its way 

 back to the same retreat, and that it never ate part of its own dwelling. 

 From my observations, the larvce are entirely night feeders, never ven- 

 turing abroad during daylight. It is a bright caterpillar, of a raw 

 sienna-brown colour, as Newman says ; but my specimen had the 

 medio-dorsal stripe much darker, instead of being "paler;" in fact, the 

 stripe was very dark brown inclining to black, the white spots on the 

 fourth segment had a slightly yellowish tint. I have no doubt it is 

 gifted with its mode of concealment on account of its bright colours, 

 which would be very conspicuous on the dark leaves of its foodplant, 

 but in the home it constructs it can lie concealed the whole day from 

 the most prying eyes. I beat the bramble for more than half a mile, in 

 hope of thrashing out more larvte of the same species, but failed to do 

 so. It would be a difficult matter to beat them out when they are 

 once fastened up in their retreat ; another season I shall do beating or 

 searching for them when they are taking their evening rambles. — Geo. 

 Elson, Densham Cottage, Plymouth. 



