G4 [August, 



I found, just as I had been instructed by Mr. Fletcher, that the 

 larvae spent most of their time within the old hollow stems of Arimdo 

 pliragmites, several harbouring together in a stem, wherein they lay 

 stretched out at full length, one beyond another, and came out at night 

 to feed on the leaves of fresh reeds ; at first consuming a tolerable 

 quantity, then less by degrees towards the end of the month, when 

 their feeding had entirely ceased ; each stem was now stopped up by 

 a diaphragm or plug of pale whity-brown silk, spun across a little 

 withiu each end ; at the same time I became aware of one larva having 

 fastened two stems together that had lain side by side among the 

 leaves, and it had cleverly utilized the situation by loosening a portion 

 of the old sheathing-leaf from one of the stems, and after creeping 

 beneath this had, by means of silk threads, spun it firmly on both stems 

 as the covering and protection of a sufliciently commodious puparium 

 between them. 



On the 2nd of October, when about to place them in a cage for 

 the winter, I noticed a larva much contracted in length and fast ap- 

 proaching the pupal change lying loose amongst the leaves ; beneath 

 these at the bottom I presently found one had already become a pupa, 

 and was lying there naked and unattached. 



The two last mentioned, as well as those spun up in the stems, all 

 disclosed fine and perfect specimens of the insect in this present month 

 of June, the first was bred on the 5th, and the last on the 15th. By 

 means of gentle forcing Mi\ Fletcher succeeded in producing the moth 

 as early as the 1st of April, and afterwards quite naturally and freely, 

 rather in advance of mine. 



A first view of the larva is very suggestive of an immature 

 Leucania, more perhaps of straminea than of any other species I am 

 acquainted with, though not in its general colouring, as it differs con- 

 siderably from that species in having a much dingier appearance, 

 matching fairly well some of the old reed stems ; moreover, on a close 

 inspection it is seen to have an extra fine line on either side, in addition 

 to the usual arrangement of fine lines alternating with stripes that are 

 observed on a true Leucania. 



The full grown larva of Jlammea is 1 inch 2 lines in length, ap- 

 parently cylindrical, yet it is somewhat flattened beneath and slightly 

 tapering at each end, the skin is soft and smooth, the segmental 

 divisions moderately well defined, and the usual sub-dividing fine 

 transverse wrinkles also, which are more noticeable on the sides, the 

 anal legs rather splayed ; the ground colour above is greyish ochreous- 

 brown faintly freckled with a darker fine reticulation, beneath, it is 



