CALAMIA LUTOSA, ITS VARIATION, HABITS, ETC. 271 



It happened to be a species which I wanted badly, having only 

 one or two ancient, worn and greasy examples, which had done duty 

 for years, not only in my cabinet, but I believe in an older collection 

 before. I was, therefore, somewhat exercised in my mind, and 

 blamed myself when winter came round, for not having at least tried 

 to find the head-quarters of the insect, and secured decent fresh 

 specimens. It is true that I had tried to track it down in a feeble 

 sort of way, and, being unsuccessful, I came to the conclusion that it 

 was rare in my neighbourhood, and that the more or less worn and 

 torn insects which had turned up were wanderers, who had lost 

 their way, and came from some distant locality. But this year, 

 having taken a single specimen at sugar in my garden, and having 

 seen several flying about in a damp corner, where but a few reeds 

 grow, in my upland hunting ground, I set myself seriously to find some 

 more. The result of my search I wish to put before you to-night. 

 First of all, however, I should like to relate all I know of the life- 

 history of the insect, about which evidently little that is trustworthy 

 has been recorded, 



Newman, in Britis/i Mntha, p. 272, writes : " The egg is laid in 

 August, September and even occasionally as late as October, on the 

 stems of the common reed {Anuulo i>lim;iinites), and the young 

 caterpillar very shortly emerges, and eats into the stem, descending 

 towards the roots, on which it feeds below the surface of the 

 ground." I found almost countless females laying busily on October 

 21st, and, as far as I saw, they were laying upon the leairs, and not 

 upon the stems— but I may not have looked carefully enough. The 

 eggs were laid exactly like those of Apawea oi>hi(uirawiva — that is, in 

 rows, generally single, sometimes double, in the folded edges of partly 

 dead leaves towards the tip. Some 15 to 20 eggs seemed to be the 

 general rule, and here comes a somewhat puzzling question. If the 

 young larvje proceed at hatching to enter the reed-stem, how have 

 any, but the first-hatched, a chance of survival ? One can imagine 

 the race for a footing in the only available abode, and the (juestion 

 is, whether the tiny fresh-hatched larvae, all seeing life first upon one 

 leaf, are to be supposed to attack the one stem at the base of that leaf, 

 or proceed to look out for a fresh and unoccupied plant. 1 must say 

 that I think here, as also in the case of A. nplnonraDiiiia, that the 

 young larvie must be able to feed at first upon the leaves, and 

 gather strength to travel before dispersing. 



Next I find that in the Kntom. Record, vol. iv., p. 52, Mr, Gardner 

 writes of the habits of the insect : — " The following extract from my 

 diary, dated July 21st, 1881, concerning (\ lutom, may interest some 

 of your readers : ' discovered larvfB of this insect feeding in roots of 

 Ariuido ph ran mites. Should be looked for early in July to middle of 

 August. The larva feeds very deep in the roots, but when about to 

 change, leaves the plant and pupates in the soil, two or three inches 

 from the surface. The presence of the larvfe may be readily 

 detected by the bleached appearance of the plants which have been 

 attacked ; the pupae, however, will be more easily found than the 

 larvjie, for which I have dug as deeply as a foot, and then not reached 

 the insect.' " This account, written by one who has undoubtedly a right 

 to speak from observation of facts, differs from that of Newman, who, 

 in highly-painted language, ascribes to the larvae the habit of pupating 



