1867.J 155 



EwpoeciUa duhitoAia ; Catoptria Scopoliana ; Adela minimellus ; Asychna profugella, 

 7 specimens (this species Mr. Stainton informs me ia a scarce insect, and that but 

 little is known of it) ; Nepticula intimella and gratiosella, also new to the district. 

 I made np a very fair box in three days, although very unwell at the time. 

 Ptercyphorus t&phradactylus and Bertrami were still out, and Lowei just appearing. 

 —Id. 



Notes on the larva of Argynnis Aglaia. — On the 29th of June, 1867, I had the 

 gratification of seeing this larva, which was most kindly presented to me by the 

 Rev. Hallett Todd. 



It was found with others after a strict search amongst Viola canina, and its 

 mode of feeding on the leaves of that plant was peculiar ; for, when eating, it kept 

 advancing with every mouthful until it had got to the end of the leaf, and then 

 quickly walked backwards to the point of commencement, and proceeded as before, 

 always making a quick retrograde movement before again eating its way forward ; 

 and those operations were performed with such rapidity that half a large leaf 

 quickly disappeared. 



When its hunger was appeased, it usually retreated below the leaves, or rested 

 on the stalks of the plant. 



When nearly full fed it measured If inches in length, and tapered a little 

 towards the head, and more towards the anal extremity ; it had six rows of black 

 spines branched with short black hairs, viz., on each side a sub-dorsal, a lateral, 

 and a sub-spiracular row, except as follows : the second, third, and fourth segments 

 had but sub-dorsal and sub-spiracular rows, or four spines on each segment, the 

 sub-dorsal being rather shorter than the others ; and on the second segment they 

 were simple spines, leaning over the head and curved slightly backwards. All 

 the other segments had six spines in the order before mentioned, slanting a little 

 backwards, and more so on the two last. 



The head was black, shining, and hairy. The colour of the body a dark, shining 

 violet-grey, thickly marbled with velvety black, the grey not very conspicuous 

 except at the segmental divisions and along the spiracular region, where it formed 

 an undulating interrupted line. The slender dorsal line black, and expanded in 

 width near the middle of its course through each segment, and bordered on each 

 side with a stripe of bright ochreous-yellow, which expanded in width just in 

 advance of the widest part of the black central dorsal line ; the spiracles black, 

 delicately margined with grey, and close below each spiracle a blotch of bright 

 orange-red, connected below with a thin line of orange-ochreous, that ran beneath 

 the lowest row of spines ; the belly and pro-legs blackish-brown. 



The larva continued to feed until the 9th of July, when four or five of the 

 rather large leaves at the top of the plant appeared to be slightly spun together, 

 forming a kind of square tent-like enclosure, within which the larva had retired. 



After the lapse of a week I broke a few of the silk threads in turning back 

 part of a leaf so as to obtain a view of the occupant, and was much interested in 

 seeing a very singular pupa suspended by the tail to the underside of a sloping 

 leaf, its surface covered with a circular mass of silk, thickest in the centre, to 

 which the anal hooks of the pupa were attached in a horizontal position, the back 

 of the abdomen being so such curved round towards the leaf as to imitate the 



