1879 ] 99 



but was unable to capture. Heliotliis peltigera and marginata, and the 

 common Diantlicecice visited occasionally the flowers of botb these 

 plants, those of Silene maritimn, however, proving the more attractive. 



Whilst passing over the Down on the night of June 12th, I se- 

 cured a Laphi/gma exigua (?) as it flew across my light ; and on the 

 20th I captured, flying in a clover field in the bright sunshine, a fine 

 HeJiotliis armigera ( $ ) — but I failed to obtain eggs from either. 



The larvae of Sesia pliilantliiformis were not uncommon in the 

 stems of Statice armeria, and at Salcombe, where this plant grows in 

 great luxuriance, Sericoi'is Uttoralis was tolerably plentiful. 



I may add that Vanessa cardui and Fliisia gamma occurred simul- 

 taneously on June 10th in the greatest profusion. 



Shrublands, Eltham : 



' Sejptember 4th, 1879. 



DESCEIPTION OF THE LARVA, &c., OF N ONAGRI A SP AEG AN II. 

 BY WILLIAM BTJCKLEE. 



In the number for March last (vol. xv, p. 236) was announced the 

 interesting fact of Mr. Sydney Webb having discovered and bred this 

 species new to our fauna, it is therefore presumed that some further 

 detailed account of its larval existence may be acceptable, now that it 

 has again been found and bred in England. 



Here I express my thanks to Mr. Sydney Webb for his kindness 

 in not only supplying me with this larva, but also for details of its 

 habits, which, by observation, I have been able to verify completely, for 

 the purpose of the following description undertaken at his request. 



It is. then, through the end of July to about the middle of August 

 that these larvae in various stages of growth are found within the lower 

 compacted parts of the leaves of Iris pseudacorus ; sometimes two in 

 one plant, but oftener only one, where it will have the tender young 

 central leaf, in the very heart of the plant to feed on ; it often migrates 

 however, not only from the leaves of one plant to another, but some- 

 times enters the culm or seeding stem, where, after feeding on the 

 central pith down almost to the root, it retires to attack another plant; 

 and, when about half grown, it frequently acquires a taste for Spar- 

 ganiiim ramosum, therein inhabiting the basal part of the trigonous 

 leaf, or, as often happens, will enter the stem of Typlia angustifolia ; 

 though, in whichever plant it happens to be when full-fed, there it 

 remains, in a perpendicular position, and changes to a pupa. 



When a larva gnaws a hole in a fresh plant of Iris, and enters 

 therein, it throws out to some distance from the hole a quantity of pale 



