1880. 157 



with leaves of Teucrium scorodonia ; after a day or two I found the 

 former had gnawed a little of the cuticle from the softest of the 

 bramble leaves only, thus causing their white bodies to be very faintly 

 tinged with greenish, while the latter had made holes quite through 

 the leaves of Teucrium, and evidently liked their food so much better, 

 that afterwards I kept all the larvae entirely on Teucrium, and they 

 throve on it remarkably well ; but this food certainly seemed to 

 influence their colouring, as they were all very much paler than the 

 brood of last year, fed chiefly on other labiate plants. 



The larvae had constructed their first cases by 25th of June, and 

 I noticed some of these, as well as one or two of a later period, varying 

 from the usual pasty-shape, and having a more fusiform outline ; and 

 for some time leaves of their food-plant furnished the materials, until 

 by accident a piece of honeysuckle got introduced, and a case was cut 

 from it ; after that I made trial of other leaves, until the preference 

 seemed given to those of Bubus corylifolius, from which latterly all 

 the cases were fabricated. 



Early in July I established the larvae in a large glass vessel 

 holding plenty of Teucrium sprays standing upright, secured at the 

 top with stout unbleached calico, an arrangement allowing me to 

 watch, without disturbing the shy little creatures ; and I soon found 

 their habit was to remain constantly hidden in the case, whether lying 

 on the surface of a leaf, or hanging, as they would for hours, suspended 

 from a leaf or a stem by a dirty-coloured thread half an inch or less 

 in length ; and even when desirous of feeding they put forth their 

 anterior segments only, for the purpose of reaching the part of the 

 leaf they meant to attack, and then immediately, with a little jerk, 

 pulled forward the case over the segments they had exposed in moving, 

 and fed away as it were by stealth. 



Occasionally one could be seen attempting the difficult task of 

 ascending the glass from the bottom, and of course often failing to 

 secure a footing on the slippery surface ; but during these efforts, 

 made with half its body exposed and stretched to the utmost extent, 

 if it chanced to touch any part of the food plant for a foot-hold, the 

 case would be quickly drawn up over it, a performance which reminded 

 me vividly of an old acquaintance — the aquatic nymphcealis ; — but 

 while thus engaged it would at the least alarm shoot back in an instant 

 within the case, often causing it to fall lightly to the bottom, and 

 there, lying perfectly still, it had the natural appearance of a mere 

 fragment of leaf rubbish. 



