so i Jul y> 



exceedingly shy, never protruding their heads to feed during the day 

 unless in darkness and perfectly undisturbed ; they evidently fed well, 

 and made fresh cases whenever they required roomier abodes or those 

 in use changed colour from decay ; indeed, the leaves of Clinopodium, 

 Origanum, and SoUdago, from which they constructed them, were not 

 of a nature to last long in a good condition ; it therefore seemed 

 probable that in complete liberty the larva? would use any more suitable 

 leaves for case making they might happen to find ; and to test this idea 

 I introduced some leaves of beech with their food, and they were not 

 slow to appreciate this better material, as one larva after another 

 constructed a new residence, and before long they were all occupying 

 cases cut from beech. 



On one occasion I chanced to surprise a larva, three parts grown, 

 lying along the midrib on the upper surface of a beech leaf, engaged 

 in spinning a great number of silk threads, close together and parallel, 

 from one side to the other as a foundation for a new case, — I had only 

 justobserved this, and that the sides of the leaves were drawing upwards, 

 when I was called away for a little while, — and on my return found a 

 large oval piece of the leaf the size of a pigeon's egg had been neatly 

 cut out and drawn closely together at the edges into a well fashioned 

 elongate, plump, pasty-like case, having a circular hole of egress at both 

 ends ; all the cases were of similar form, and varied but little in size 

 after the last were made, nearly an inch long by almost three-eighths 

 across the broad middle. 



Latterly, indications appeared of some of the larva? being nearly or 

 quite full-fed, as I found some cases attached by silk threads to the 

 marjoram and basil, when I added a few leaves of Teucrium scorodonia, 

 and this the few still feeding appeared to relish so much as to care but 

 little for their previous diet ; all but one were full fed by 9th of Septem- 

 ber, and that last one on the 19th : they had moored their cases, destined 

 for puparia, to some of the neighbouring leaves with threads of 

 brownish silk ; and one hole of each case had disappeared by the 

 edges being drawn closely together, the other hole evenly plugged up 

 with silk ; in one instance the case was strongly moored near either 

 end across the under edge of a beech leaf from which a large oval piece 

 had been cut away as material for a similar construction, an interesting 

 example Mr. Jeff cry gave me to figure. 



Most unexpectedly, when I chanced to look into their cages on 

 the 16th of November, I found in one a $ , apparently just out of pupa, 

 and in another found a second ? , equally perfect, while at the bottom 

 lav a dead £ specimen partly discoloured. 



