1872.1 143 



14th — S. anomala, rare, at rest and at sugar. 15th — A. tragopogonis at rest. 23rd 

 — E. nigra not uncommon ; H. micacea at sugar. 29th — R. protea at rest and at 

 sugar. September 4th — First A. lltura and C. trapezina, both very scarce this year. 

 7th — H. urticce, larvse abundant on nettles. 9th — First A. agathina and N. neglecta, 

 both very scarce. 12th — P. chi at rest. This moth usually swarms here ; this year 

 I only observed one specimen. C. vettista at sugar. 13th — C. exoleta rare. 23rd 

 — First A. aprilina and P. meticulosa. — Geo. Normax, Clmiy Hill, Forres, N.B. : 

 October, 1872. 



Description of the larva, ^c, of Ephestia artemisiella. — My friend, Mr. D'Orville, 

 has for some years cultivated various plants in his garden with the sole object of 

 attracting Lepidoptera, either in the imago or in the larva state, and with some 

 considerable success. Amongst other species, E. artemisiella has been a more or less 

 constant visitor, inducing at last the belief that it was bred in the garden, and lately, 

 Mr. D'Orville has been able to prove this to be the fact, and now desires me to put 

 together some account of his investigations. 



The egg-state has not been observed, — but probably, the eggs are laid low down 

 near the ground, on the tough woody stalks near the roots of Artemisia absinthium, 

 as it is here generally, in old plants, that the larvae are found to have made their 

 entrance, and excavated mines or chambers for themselves, while feeding on the 

 central substance of the root-stalks, much after the manner of some of the Sesiidce. 



In such situations, one might naturally suppose these larvse would be more than 

 usually free from molestation, but experience proves this not to be the case, as it 

 happens that very few larvae are so lucky as to escape an attack by a small prying 

 ichneumon, their inveterate foe, Lissonota hortorum, Grav., specimens of which have 

 been kindly identified by the Rev. T. A. Marshall. 



On the 7th of December, 1871, many of the larvse were found to be quite small, 

 others more than half-grown, while some pf the ichneumons had already formed 

 their cocoons in the mines of their victims ; indeed, towards the end of the month, 

 one female ichneumon was bred, and during the months of March and the first week 

 of April, 1872, Mr. D'Orville bred as many as seventeen of both sexes, and, had these 

 been at large, no doubt they would have sought out a number of the remaining larvse 

 of artemisiella, in which to deposit their eggs, thus causing their destruction both in 

 autiunn and in spring. In fact, both artemisiella and its parasite become full-fed in 

 the larva state over a period of some latitude ; but, while the ichueu.mon has also the 

 same range for the appearance of the imago, artemisiella is, in that respect, more 

 restricted, all the moths we bred (some fourteen in number) appearing between 

 June 23rd and July 18th. 



That we bred any moths seemed strange, for, although the root-stalks of worm, 

 wood were traversed in many directions by the mines of the larvse, yet, on cutting 

 some of them open, I found biit one living larva amongst a host of ichneumon piipse. 



As the young larva of this species differs only in size from the adult, it will bo 

 sufficient to describe it when fvdl-grown. At that time, when extended, its length is 

 half an inch, veiy plump and fat-looking, cylindrical, and tapering from the third 

 segment just a little towards the head, which is a trifle the smallest, the anal seg- 

 ment tapers suddenly and considerably, all the legs are short ; the skin is smooth 

 and without much gloss, excepting the head, the plate behind it, and one on the 

 anal tip, which are very shining ; the segments arc tolerably well-defined at the 

 divisions, the sub-divisions much more delicately ; the sides are dimpled, and the 

 spiracular region a little inflated. 



In colour, it appears almost white, but in reality is a very pale faintly greyish 

 flesh colouv, with the slightest dorsal line of pale greyish-brown ; the head is dark 



