1888.] 221 



torily employed. The larvae fed on the pith of the side shoots, eating 

 them out so completely that they withered, but did not enter the main 

 stem. They were cylindrical, rather plump, shining pale glaucous or 

 almost yellowish white, with darker dorsal vessel. Head deep shining 

 black, dorsal plate blackish-brown, anal plate pale brown, feet pale 

 greenish, spots not observable. When full-fed they descended to the 

 earth to spin up, and were easily reared. 



Gatoptria candidulana., Nolck. — I found larvge in plenty in 

 September, 1886, on Artemisia maritima growing in salt marshes. 

 They bore a curious resemblance to those of some of the Homaeosomcd, 

 and were plump, much wrinkled, each segment being divided trans- 

 versely by a fold of skin, marking off the hinder third of the segment. 

 Colour dull whitish with narrow dorsal line, and broad sub-dorsal 

 stripes of a dull purplish, interrupted at every division and fold by 

 the ground colour. Spots large, whitish ; head shining brown ; dorsal 

 plate large, broadly whitish in front, shading off to brown behind, 

 but with a white line down the centre. Anal plate and legs mottled 

 with brown and white, prolegs white. "When young the head and 

 plates are black. Eather sluggish, living among the flowers of 

 Artemisia maritima, uniting them together with a silken tube which 

 runs up the spike, and eating out the flowers and young seeds. 

 Greatly preferring the ordinary dense, upright spikes, but occasionly 

 found on the lax, spreading variety of the plant, in which case it moves 

 about from one lateral spike to another, making a small covering web 

 on each. When full-fed it leaves the plant and spins up up among 

 debris or in the mud, of which it must have an exceedingly damp 

 experience for the nine or ten months which elapse before it enters 

 I the pupa state. 



King's Lynn, Norfolk : 



November 19th, 1887. 



CONTRIBUTION TO THE LIFE-HISTORY OF NEPHOPTERYX 

 ABIETELLA, S, V., WITH A DESCRIPTION OF ITS LARVA. 



BY EDWAKD A. ATMOEE, F.E.S. 



From time to time during the last few years I have casually met 

 with the imagines of Neflwpterycc alietella, and late in April, 1885, 

 whilst searching for pupae of Metinia turionana in the shoots of small 

 Scotch fir trees, I made my first acquaintance with its larva. On that 

 occasion a single full-grown larva was found, feeding much like that 

 of turionana does earlier in the year, viz., in a central shoot, and 



