1S79.] 161 



Vanessa cardui in Hawaii. — Keferring to the paper headed " The recent abun- 

 dance of Vanessa cardui," in the August No. of this Magazine, it may be of interest to 

 note that I have observed the species in considerable abundance (but not in compact 

 swarms) at various points on the Hawaiian Archipelago, between February and July 

 this year (1879), — though I have not previously noticed it during the three years I 

 have been living on the islands. Its near ally, V. Huntera, has occuri-ed in about 

 the usual numbers. The season has been here, probably, as much cloudier and more 

 showery than usual as in Great Britain. V. cardui has been previously recorded, I 

 believe, as occurring on the Hawaiian Islands, but I cannot at this moment lay my 

 hands on the authority. — T. Blackbtjen, Honolulu : Septemier, 1879. 



Description of the larva, ^t., of Botysfuscalis. — For this subject I have again 

 to thank my friend Mr. W. R. Jeffrey, who, some years ago, used to find this larva 

 near Saffron Walden on that local plant Melampyrum cristatum ; and, while thinking 

 it likely that the more common species of cow-wheat might also prove to be its food, 

 he accordingly sought for it in the summer of 1878 with complete success, taking 

 several of the larvae, and most kindly sharing them with me. 



I received the larvse on July 25th, some of them nearly full-grown, feeding on 

 the flowers and tender seed-capsules of Melampyrum pratense, inhabiting webs or 

 galleries formed with silk, uniting the flowers and capsules to the stalk, and much' 

 covered in parts with frass. 



The earliest were full-fed at the end of July, and on the 2nd of August spun 

 their cocoons, the others continued feeding until the 5th, when they also left the 

 plant, and soon after spun themselves up in the angles at top and bottom of their 

 cage, within tough semi-opaline silken cocoons, sufficiently clear, for a long time 

 afterwards, to shew the very pale larvae through the silk ; pupation not occurring 

 before the following spring. 



With me the moths emerged from July 8th to 20th, 1879, and with Mr. Jeffrey 

 about the same time, though some of his were bred as late as the end of that month. 



The full-grown larva is a little more than half an inch in length, very slightly 

 tapering at either end, but not very fusiform, though Pyralis-\\ke, the segments have 

 each a sub-dividing wrinkle across the back, and are well defined, having almost as 

 plump a character as with asinalis, the head rather smaller than the second segment, 

 but roundish in form, with the lobes well developed on the crown ; the colour of the 

 back and sides is darkish grey-brown, darkest anteriorly, the spiracular region and 

 belly is pale, rather ochreous-drab colour, the head blackish-brown and glossy, also 

 the semi-lunar plate dorsally divided by a fine line on the second segment whose 

 margin of skin next the head is remarkably paler than elsewhere, the dorsal line is 

 darker and warmer brown than that of the back, the folds of skin at the segmental 

 divisions, when they occur, are of an ochreous-drab, the tubercular warty spots 

 blackish -browu and shining, the dorsal anterior pairs largest, becoming rather of a 

 warmer brown on the hinder segments, united on the front part of the thirteenth 

 where they form one large spot, a brown plate minutely freckled with blackish-brown 

 is on the anal flap, the spiracles small, round, and black, below them the spots on 

 the belly are of a light warm brown, and each spot bearing a fine hair. 



When full-fed, the larva, like other of its congeners, undergoes a complete change 

 of colour, and becomes uniformly of a pale pinkish-flesh tint.* 



* Vide " Zoologist " for 1861, p. 7765, contaiiiiiig, by the late E. Newman, a description of the 

 \a,YV9, iedi on Hhinanthus crista-galli, a. plant closely allied to the above-mentioned. Heretofore, 

 the only one published. 



