LÊPIDOPTÉROLOGIE COMPARÉE 347 



pedaria and stralaria appear before the species we are considering 

 and betidaria appears considerably later. The month of April is 

 the usual time for grœ caria, hirtaria, lapponaria, etc. 



The moths émerge late in the afternoon, generally between 

 4 P. M. and 6 P. M., although odd nidividuals émerge earlier in 

 the day. They do not commence to move until dusk. The time 

 of flight is but short, but I hâve seen maies, which hâve not paired, 

 sometimes hâve a second flight about lO P. M. Just before day- 

 break, the normal second flight occurs, when pairs, which hâve 

 copulated during the previous evening, may separate and other 

 pairings may take place. The usual time of séparation, however, 

 is late afternoon, whether pairing took place 24 hours, or only 

 12 hours previously, but I hâve known of many cases of pairings 

 lasting 2, 3 or even 4 days. The pairs, during the day, rest on 

 the trunks of trees in the case of pomonaria and hirtaria; 

 the other species can be found in copula on any suitable low plant. 

 In ail cases, the maie is belov^ the female. Unpaired maies rest 

 î'n similar positions and, when disturbed, close theu' wings, curve 

 the abdomen under, drop and feign death except in the case of 

 hirtaria and pomonaria, which flop backward, but rarely feign 

 death for any long period. The females of ail the species except 

 hirtaria behave in a similar manner, curving the abdomen, and 

 dropping. Only lapponaria çj has been observed to fly m bright 

 sunshine, but females of the other s may be seen during the day 

 wandering around at a fairly rapid rate, seeking to lay their 

 eggs. The eggs are thrust by means of a very long ovipositor 

 into crevices in the bark of trees by pomonaria and hirtaria, into 

 the dead corollas of various species of Erica and other plants, 

 by lapponaria, or into sheathing leaves and hollow stems of 

 grasses, as in zonaria, grœcaria, etc. 



The ova remain without hatching for a period of three to six 

 weeks, depending on the température. The larvae émerge and are 

 exceedingly agile créatures. They are able to flnd their way 

 through the smallest holes; otherwise, of course, owing to the 

 positions chosen for oviposition, and to the fact that the ova are 



