1884.] 



99 



LIFE-HISTORY OP BOTYS HYALINALIS. 



BY THE REV. J. HELLINS, M.A. (assisted by W. R. JEFFREY). 



On July 27th, 1883, Mr. W. E. Jeffrey captured a female moth 

 of this species, which deposited her eggs between July 30th and 

 August 2nd ; the larvae hatched August 11th, and on being supplied 

 svith leaves of various plants growing in the locality where the moths 

 were flying, soon showed their preference for those of Gentaurea nigra^ 

 it once spinning little webs along the side of the midrib towards the 

 ,jtem ; they ate away the under-side, leaving the upper cuticle un- 

 touched, and thus making little transparent blotches, which showed 

 vhere they were feeding ; they were, however, themselves so glassy 

 md translucent, that they were most difficult to detect, and hence 

 several were lost or destroyed in changing their food : they continued 

 .0 grow till the beginning of October, and as it then became apparent 

 hat they would hibernate, Mr. Jeffrey supplied them with dry beech 

 eaves, on which they soon constructed their tough hibernacula, and 

 vere afterwards placed out of doors with a potted plant of Gentaurea ; 

 bout the middle of December, during mild weather, it was noticed 

 hey had nibbled some of the leaves, but the larvae themselves were 

 lot seen. In January, 1884, I received Mr. Buckler's stock of hiber- 

 lating larvae, some ten or twelve in number, but did not examine 

 hem for some time : on March 8th I opened a little web, and found 

 he enclosed larva quite dormant : soon after this they must have 

 egun to feed again, for on March 19th Mr. Jeffrey found a Gentaurea 

 3af nibbled asunder near some loose spinning of silk, and on the 

 Ist, I found similar indications of my larvae being at work : on April 

 th, in the evening, I examined my growing plant of Gentaurea^ and 

 aw that I had three larvae alive and feeding, apparently still using 

 heir hibernacula for hiding places, and spinning short galleries from 

 liem to the tender young leaves just shooting out of the earth, the 

 'hole substance of which they ate in the usual way ; one of these 

 irvse was about to moult : on May Sth I found them full grown, and 

 ;uring the next fortnight they spun gauzy cocoons, and became pupae 

 uring the first M^eek in June ; unfortunately, I kept them too dry, 

 nd bred only one moth, June 27th ; Mr. Jeffrey's larvae were rather 

 iter in their dates, becoming pupae towards the end of June ; and he 

 red the moths July Sth — 13th, and again captured the moths flying 

 '^ large on July 31st. 



The eggs are described as being deposited in little patches, some- 

 hat overlapping each other ; they are flat in form, of a pale honey 



