LEPIDOPTERA. 



227 



The plants in question were from 3 to 4 feet high, and the injuries 

 consisted in the top shoots being arrested in their development. 

 Every practical man knows that conifers in general make but a very- 

 short leading shoot the year following transplanting, and that in the 

 early stages of growth the whorl of lateral branches stands erect and 

 surrounding the leading shoot. In this particular case the injuries 

 inflicted by the larva* resulted in not oidy eating the young leaves, 



Fig. 2-23. —Shoota of Englhh yew (Taxus 

 baccata) injured hy larva; of Batodes 

 angiistiorana. 



Fig. 22i.— Shoot of holly injured by P:edisca 

 ophthalinicana. 



but in soldering the whole of this whorl together, so that in many 

 cases the leading shoot and lateral branches were either very much 

 weakened or otherwise killed outright. 



P.EDISCA OPHTHALMICANA, Hub.^ 



If the holly hedges are examined about May or June, it will be 

 found that the leaves of the terminal shoots are often drawn to- 

 gether by a small silken thread, thus forming a sort of rosette 

 (fig. 224). It will be found that each rosette is tenanted by a single 

 small caterpillar, and in many cases they are very abundant on hedges 



^ It is possible there are several closely allied species doing similar damage, so 

 that implicit confidence should not be placed in the name of this species from the 

 damage alone. 



