igg [December, 



seeds of Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) growing near the sea, which appeared 

 identical with the larvae on golden rod, now proved to be osteodadylus ; and the 

 mention of this fact has also made me recollect that I have occasionally beaten one 

 or two of them from mugwort, Artemisia vulgaris ; but in neither case did I succeed 

 in breeding the moth, — J. H., October 8th, 1867. 



Notes on Hyria auroraria. — This species is not one of the unlcnowns, still I 

 venture to send you my notes on it, since the larvse I have seen differed not only 

 among themselves, but also from the description given in the Manual after Guenee* 



In August, 1865, Mr. Batty, of Sheffield, sent me some young larvse, which 

 were then, and continued afterwards, of a very dark variety. In 1866, Mr. T, Brown, 

 of Cambridge, sent me some eggs, the larvse from which were very much paler than 

 the former brood. I find the following dates recorded in my note-book : — Larvse 

 hatched July 12th ; about half-an-inch long in October 5 began to feed after hyberna- 

 tion about the end of February ; full-fed about the beginning of June ; moths bred 

 during the first half of July. 



These larvae fed on Polygonum aviculare, and, although very much of the 

 Acidalia fonn and habit, did not, as many species of that genus do, show any 

 preference for withered leaves over fresh. All, save one of the Sheffield brood, died 

 during the winter of 1865-6, whilst, as far as I could see, the much sharper frost of 

 last winter made no impression on the Cambridge brood, which fed up well, though 

 about a third of their number died in the final change. 



The Sheffield larvai, when small, were very dark brown — almost black — all 

 over, but with a lens a slightly paler sub-dorsal line could be discovered, as well as 

 some black dorsal central spots placed in a slightly paler space. The Cambridge 

 larvse, whilst small, came near to the Manual description, for they were then 

 dusky -brown, with the anterior segments pale ochreous on the back, and the middle 

 segments having pale diamond marks enclosing a central dusky spot ; but the full- 

 grown appearance was quite difi'erent. 



When full-grown, the larva is about J inch long, slender, rather flattened along 

 the spiracles, tapering towards the head, which is small and bifid ; the skin a little 

 wrinkled ; in fact it is a slender form of the shorter (or aversata) type of Acidalia. 



The ground-colour either brown or very pale grey ; in either case the anterior 

 and posterior segments are much tinged with ochreous ; a dark, blackish, double 

 dorsal line, commencing very fine and faint behind the head, but on segments 5 to 

 9 suddenly growing thicker both in the middle of each segment and at each seg- 

 mental fold, so as to form a series of nine pairs of dark curved dashes (alternately 

 curving inwards and outwards) ; on the segments 10 to 12 the dorsal lines become 

 continuous again, but strong and distinct ; the blackish sub-dorsal line distinct on 

 the front and hind segments, but splitting into two or three faint irregular threads 

 on the intermediate ones ; one larva had also a strong black spiracular stripe 

 beginning at the fourth segment, and ending at the anal pair of legs ; spiracles 

 black ; the belly darker than the back, with a pale central line, and between it and 

 the spiracles some curved oblique dark streaks, and a row of five black dots just 

 below the spiracles on segments 5 to 9 ; the ventral and anal legs tinged with blue. 



The larva makes the merest apology for a cocoon, just drawing together with 

 the greatest economy of silk a few bits of moss and grass, between which the pupa 

 can be easily seen ; this is slender, cylindrical, very smooth, with the wing-cases 

 short and distinctly marked ; colour a pale dull ochreous, wings finely outlined in 

 black. — Id. 



