1875.] 2.37 



E. Hallctt Todd ; I thou guessed it to be a HcUothis bj its spiracles and texture of 

 skin, but, as it eventually died, its portrait remained among the unknowns, for future 

 ideutilicatiou. 



On 25th of August, 1870, Mi-. ITarwood sent me a similar larva, foimd in 

 Norfolk, eating the seed capsules of Silene otites ; and on September 14th, another 

 arrived from Lord Walsingham, with a notification from him that he believed it to 

 be dipsacea ; this last was fed on sorrel for a few dajs, but did not thrive, until 

 some gi'een seed-pods of toad-flax were substituted, when a surprising improvement 

 appeared in its condition, and it soon grew to maturity ; — but both this and the 

 other example died after spinning up for pupation. 



In August, 1873, my hopes were raised high by the acquisition of several lai'vse, 

 foimd; and sent me from Essex, by lilr. Harwood ; most of them he had taken on 

 Ononis arrensis, and they were nearly full-fed, and soon retired into the sandy soil 

 provided for them ; and there some of them still remain. The last example I 

 received, the one wliich has — by appearing in the perfect state — enabled me to 

 identify all my previous figures, was foxind on Crepis virens in Norfolk, and forwarded 

 to me September 10th, 1873, by Mr. W. H. Cole ; from this the moth appeared on 

 the 10th of July, 1874. 



From observing the habits of all these examples, I conclude that the natural 

 food of the larva, from near half-growth onwards to maturity, is confined chiefly to 

 flowers and unripe seeds of various species of Silene, Ononis, Trifolium, Crepis, 

 Hieracium, Linaria, &c. 



The full-grown larva when at rest is about \^ inch in length, and li when 

 stretched out, of moderate stoutness, the body, thickest at the middle segments, 

 tapers very little towards the head, and rather more towards the anal extremity, with 

 a sudden slope down on the back from the midtUe of the twelfth segment, the 

 thirteenth being rather elongated, and the anal legs extended behind it, the other 

 segments plump and well defined ; the head, which has rounded lobes, can be partly 

 withdrawn into the second segment ; the tubercular dots small, each bearing a fine 

 hair, and the skin is partially roughened, as hereafter described. 



The ground colour is varied, straw colour, light drab, greenish-ochreous, full 

 green, brilliant yellowish-green, rather glaucous-green, olive-green, rose-pink, and 

 deep purplish-brown have all occurred ; but in each individual the design has been 

 the same in details as follows : — The head often green, but sometimes pinkish, is 

 freckled with black or brown on the crown of each lobe ; the dorsal line is the finest 

 thread of ground colour, enclosed by a pair of much darker lines, which commence 

 on the third segment, and thicken gradually as they approach the middle of tho 

 body, from whence they by degrees naiTOW again towards tho end of it ; on either 

 nide of the back run two pairs of longitudinal, rather meandering, lines, a little darker 

 than the ground colour ; the subdorsal stripe of uniform width is cither wliito 

 throughout, or white on the second segment and afterwards pale yellow, or becoming 

 faintly tinged with ground colour, or else greenifih thruugliout; when viewed side- 

 ways, it is seen to rise upwards a little in its course along the twelfth segment, and 

 to form an angle by its sudden return to its former direction on the side of tho anal 

 flap, where it ends in a point ; immediately beneath this conspicuous stripe is a 

 broad longitudinal band of ground colour greatly filled u]i willi darker colour than 



