95 



Notes on the larva, pupa, and food-plant of Eiipithecia, pulchellata. — This interest- 

 ing and hitherto unknown and undescribed larva has turned up in some numbers 

 during the present summer, and now that its habits and food-plant are known, will 

 probably prove to be one of our commonest and most generally dispersed insects. 

 The merit of its discovery is due to my excellent and indefatigable friend Mr. Hellins, 

 of Exeter. Last year, both he and I had several batches of fertile eggs of Eup. 

 pulchellata, which were kindly sent us by Mr. Hodgkinson, of Preston ; the young 

 larvse hatched out well, but though we supplied them with every likely flower we 

 could think of, they refused everything, and perished miserably of starvation. This 

 summer Mr. Hellins again received fertile eggs from Mr. Hodgkinson, and, at Mr. 

 Doubleday's suggestion, supplied the newly-hatched larvEO with flowers of the com- 

 mon foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) ; finding that they fed freely, grew, and prospered, 

 he at once communicated the interesting fact to liis Entomological friends, and the 

 result is that the larva has been discovered in some numbers in several different 

 localities ; I took about 40 in a wood about a mile from my house in less than an 

 hour ; some relatives of mine have found it in profusion at Warstow, near Leek, 

 StaSbrdshire ; Mr. Batty has met with it near Sheffield, and Mr. Baker has taken 

 it freely in the neighbourhood of Derby. It feeds on the stamens and unripe seed 

 capsule of the common foxglove, spinning the lip of the flower together, and is, 

 from this circumstance, not difficult to detect ; it is rather a variable larva ; I ap- 

 pend descriptions of those varieties which have lately come under my notice. 



Var. I. 

 Ground colour dull yellowish green ; central dorsal line broad, continuous, dull, 

 dingy purple ; sub-dorsal lines ditto, narrow, interrupted on the anal segments ; 

 spiracular line naiTow, broken, dingy purple ; head brownish, marked with 

 lines of a dingy shade ; on the collar a blackish spot ; belly whitish green, with 

 a whitish central line ; whole body thickly strewed with whitish hairs, and oc- 

 casionally suffused with dull dingy purple. 



Vak. II. 

 Ground colour dull yellowish and whitish green ; central dorsal line dusky green ; 

 sub-dorsal lines ditto ; segmental divisions yellowish ; spiracular line dull green, 

 very narrow and faint ; belly whitish green, without markings. 



Var. III. 



Ground colour pale primrose, slightly suffused with green ; central dorsal lino dull 

 faint green, almost invisible on the posterior segments ; sub-dorsal lines ditto, 

 much broken, having more the appearance of detached spots ; spiracular line 

 very faint, pale yellow ; belly whitish. 



Var. IV. 

 Ground colour bright yellowish green ; central dorsal line broad, pale olive ; sub- 

 dorsal lines ditto, narrow ; spaces between central dorsal and sub-dorsal lines 

 bright yellow ; spiracular line faint, broken, dusky green ; belly sea-green. 



Pupa enclosed in a slight earthern cocoon ; thorax and wing cases yellowish 

 green; abdomen reddish yellow ; abdominal divisions and tip deep i-ed. — H. Haiiitr- 

 Crf.we, The Rectory, Drayton-Beauchamp, Tring, August, 1864. 



