242 [April, 



the blossoms of Centaurea nigra, eating out the immature seeds and the 

 pith at their base, in August, very quickly full-fed, and leaving the 

 blossom or seed-head to spin a tough cocoon among rubbish, in which 

 it remains as a larva until the succeeding summer. Pupa brown. The 

 moths emerge at intervals from the end of June until the middle of 

 August, so that sometimes there is an appearance as of two broods. 



This and the two allied species seem to carry to an extreme the 

 peculiar habit of so many Tortrices, of feeding very rapidly, and then 

 remaining unchanged in a cocoon for many months. 



It is difficult to say which of their larvae have already been de- 

 scribed. Guenee's note on Scopoliana, that " the larva is yellowish- 

 " white, and lives in the heads of thistles," seems to refer to Gat. cana, 

 except that the colour does not agree. Dr. Steudel records of C. 

 SoJienwarthiana, larva^ — "bone-colour, with heart-shaped brown head, 

 "dorsal plate consisting of two brown plates. From autumn till June 

 "in the heads of Centaurea jacea and nigra,'' and this may refer to G. 

 Scopoliana ; but Hofmanu's further note, "in Hypericum quadrangulum''^ 

 does not tend to make matters clearer. Doubtless, it is due to the 

 tangled state of the synonymy of these species, on which some remarks 

 are to be found in this Magazine {vide vol. x, pp. 5 & 6). 



Catoptria cemuJana, Schl. This species has been reared by Prof. 

 Zeller from Solidago virgaurea, and Mr. Machin reared it in 1876 from 

 the same plant. Gartner describes the larva — " leather-brown, with 

 " belly and feet brownish, and with elevated spots. Head dark brown, 

 " also the dorsal plate, which is bordered with pale. In August and 

 " September, in the flowers of Aster tripoJium and Solidago virgaurea. 

 " Pupating in an earth-cocoon early in June." 



Two years ago, I met with the moth among Solidago virgaurea on 

 this coast, and, consequently, collected the flowers to find the larva. 

 In this I succeeded, but it does not correspond with Gartner's descrip- 

 tion. It is rather short and stout, but attenuated a little at each 

 extremity, the segments ridged and deeply divided, colour very pale 

 yellow, with a deep purple dorsal stripe and paler purple subdorsal and 

 spiracular stripes, all interrupted at the segmental divisions. Some- 

 times these stripes are purplish-grey. Head black, deeply lobed, dorsal 

 plate whitish, with a black spot at each side and two black dots be- 

 tween them. Anal plate light brown, but having the purple dorsal 

 stripe continued through it. Peeding in the latter part of August 

 and through September, in flowers of Solidago virgaurea, eating out the 

 unripe seeds, and evidently passing from flower to flower, but without 



