caterpillar's persistent though unseen ravages. It is noteworthy that no attempt 

 on the larva's part is ever made to enter the bud entirely, even when quite young, 

 but if unable to effect an entire clearance from the first vantage ground, a fresh hole 

 is gnawed for this purpose, opposite to the first. The frass is at first black, but is 

 yellowish while the stamens are being eaten. The first two moults are effected on 

 the flower-umbel itself, but for the subsequent ones the larva descends a few inches 

 down the stem, on wliich a few threads ai-e spun, to which it attaches itself; the 

 cast skin appears pure white. 



In the locality where specimens of L. Argiohis had been observed, 

 ivy was by no means abundant, and it seemed well worth while to 

 have a search for the butterfly in its early stages, on such bushes as 

 could be examined. Bearing in mind the position of the egg as laid 

 in captivity, I began to examine the base of the umbels, one by one, 

 by turning them back, and was soon rewarded by the discovery of a 

 single empty egg-shell. On closer search, a tiny larva revealed its 

 presence on one of the pedicels just above. At this stage the larva 

 resembles with wonderful fidelity the small concave branches which 

 occur at the base of each pedicel on the umbel. This fact alone 

 renders the changing of their food, when in captivity, anything but 

 an easy matter, so readily are they overlooked. 



More eggs-hells were subsequently found, always laid in the 

 same place, and rarely two on one umbel, though three were recorded 

 in one instance. All were discovered on the north-easterly side of 

 the bush, a fact that may be accounted for by the persistent and 

 violent westerly winds that had prevailed earlier in the month, when 

 the butterflies were flying. When older, the presence of the larva is 

 readily evidenced by the appearance of its frass, some of which is apt 

 to cling round the stellate hairs which cover the young buds, also by 

 the fact that such of the latter as have afforded a meal to the larva 

 have a habit of opening prematurely, discovering the empty corolla. 

 The larv* are very sluggish, and it would appear that one good-sized 

 umbel affords one sufiicient nourishment until pupation. They feed 

 indiscriminately, by 'night or by day. When, towards the end of 

 their larval existence, the expanded ivy -blooms were offered to them, 

 it was found that these were neglected for the unopened buds. 



With regard to the food of the earlier brood in this locality, it 

 cannot have been holly ; this shrub being entirely absent, the nearest 

 being in Parkhurst Forest, more that a mile away, and here not 

 abundant. 



Probably the Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) was the substitute in 

 this instance, Arc/iolus having been known to feed on the flowers of 

 this bush, which abounds where the butterflies were met with later. 



