November, 1884.] -„_ 



DESCRIPTION OF THE LARYA OF STENIA PUNCTALIS. 

 BY THE KEY. J. HELLINS, M.A. 



After several fruitless attempts by others in former years at un- 

 eiliiig tlie life-history of this species, complete success has been 

 chieved during the past season by Mr. W. H. B. Fletcher, who has 

 eared the imago from the egg, and again from larv^ taken at large 

 1 their habitat. For instructions as to when and where the moth 

 ould be found he was indebted to the EeY. C. E. Digby, who, like 

 lyself , had captured it in more than one locality, sometimes almost 

 Q the beach, sometimes at the top of the cliff, but always close to the 

 ^i; the larva, when at large, must, in stormy weather, be quite 

 ithin reach of the salt spray, but it has thriven very well without 

 ly such seasoning to its food in captivity. 



Towards the end of the second week in August, 1883, Mr. Fletcher 

 q)tured several moths, and some more again a little later, and in both 

 ses obtained eggs from them ; the larvae were hatched in about a 

 :rtnight or rather more, and fed away readily on flowers and leaves 

 y Lotus corniculatus, making awnings (not tubes) of very sticky silk ; 

 r. Fletcher carried his stock through on the same food, supplemented 

 ; times with clover. About Michaelmas Mr. Buckler, who had re- 

 aved eggs from him, sent me a larva, which I placed in a bottle, and, 

 aer a little time, rather neglected ; however, to my surprise, I found 

 lat my neglect had done no harm, for this larva seemed to enjoy its 

 -' iod when damp and rotten rather more than when freshly gathered. 

 J^fore long Mr. Buckler made the same discovery ; he had been 

 ^aug his larvae knapweed and plantain, and on one occasion when 

 ,,, canging the food was obliged to put back a decaying leaf, because a 

 ... imlting larva was fixed on it, and the next time he looked there were 

 t ee of them eating it in preference to the fresher leaves ; and so 

 ;t-ough the winter his batch of larvae remained shut up in tin boxes, 

 a J contentedly living among a mess of dead knapweed and plantain 

 1' ves, and heaps of their own frass, all spun together with fine but 

 tiacious silk. They moulted four times in the autumn, and I think 

 'tice again in the spring, and in May several appeared to be full-fed. 

 - this date Mr. Fletcher made an expedition with Mr. Digby to the 

 ^(hiality in which the moths had previously been taken, and by care- 

 iMy removing pebbles and stones was most fortunately enabled to 

 ]tiM the larvae at home, feeding under their silken coverings on vegeta- 

 rubbish composed of grass stems and roots, dead leaves of plants^ 



