QQ Septenilicv, 



Early in June the unexpandcd flower buds of tlio common mallow were found 

 to be tenanted by a very small white larva. A bagful of these buds was thereupon 

 collected, and in a short space of time hundreds of minute larvse appeared, escaping 

 by burrowing through the linen bag. A few, which were already full grown, and 

 had spun up within the bag, were found to have been devoured by these hosts of 

 voracious youngsters. At the beginning of July however, on revisiting the locality, 

 I observed the full-fed larva; crawling about in numbers on the fences and walls; 

 collected at this stage they soon pupated and produced the imago in due course. 



The young larva of vilella is white, with the usual spots small and indistinct ; 

 it narrows off very rapidly towards the tail, but has Ihe head and anterior segments 

 remarkably broad. The head itself and the 2nd segment are shining black ; the 3rd 

 segment is bright chestnut-red. As the larva appi-oaches maturity, the ground-colour 

 becomes pinkish, and when full-fed deep, dull pink, while the bright red of the 3rd 

 segment fades, until it is scarcely perceptibly darker than the rest of the body. The 

 spots are then large and brownish. Feeding when young in the flowers and un- 

 opened flowei'-buds, but afterwards in the unripe seeds of the mallow ; when full-fed 

 leaving the food-plant and spinning up among rubbish in a slight, but strong, white 

 cocoon. Before doing this, the larvse wander a long distance and often ascend the 

 walls of houses, where they apparently pupate under the shelter of the eaves. In 

 confinement I find they spin up readily in the inside of sheets of wool. The pupa 

 is light brown, and, at first, very tender. As in many places the mallow plants are 

 almost entirely stripped of flowers and seeds by the extraordinay multitude of 

 feeding larvse, this wandering propensity observable in those about to pupate may 

 be due to an instinctive desire to escape from the cannibal jaws of Iheir still hungry 

 juniors. The imago appears very sluggish, sitting close on the ground, and refusing 

 to fly when disturbed. 



It may be worth while to note the points of similarity and difference between 

 this species and malvella. The imagos are both of the same size and build, the same 

 dull brown colour, the same sluggish retiring habits. Vilella may be distinguished 

 by the small black spot near the base of the inner margin ; tnalrella by the dark 

 fascia towards the apex. The larvtc both feed on allied plants, and more or less in 

 the same fashion, eating out the seeds ; but while vilella feeds in June and July, 

 emerging in August, and hibernating as imago lays its eggs in spring, malvella feeds 

 up in August and September, hibernates as larva in a cocoon, and then, after spin- 

 ning a fresh cocoon in spring and pupating therein, emerges in July. The larva of 

 malvella feeds in nature on AlthcBa officinalis, and in gardens on hollyhocks {Althaea 

 rosea) ; that of vilella attacks Malva syh^estris. 



I should add, that though occurring in the larval state in great profusion, 

 Oelechia vilella yet appears to be very local. I can find it for nliout a mile along 

 the coast, wherever the food-plant grows ; but beyond this distance, though the 

 mallow is equally abundant, there is no trace of the larva. --W. Wakben, Cambridge : 

 August 20/! A, 1886. 



Note on Miridius qiindrivirgattis, Costa. — On July IHth, 1884, I found this 

 species in great abundance by sweeping long grass and mixed herbage in a lane 

 bordered by dykes at Deal ; it appeared to be very local, about four square yards 



