146 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



surface of the egg increase in size over the rest of the crown, 

 developing into irregular longitudinal keels down the side, which 

 disappear on rounding the base ; these number about fifty alto- 

 gether. The spaces between the keels are finely ribbed trans- 

 versely. The colour when first laid is whitish ochreous-green, 

 which gradually turns to a pale straw-yellow, and pale ochreous- 

 brown spots appear under the shell, which gradually become 

 more pronounced and form an irregular pattern of small 

 blotches, and a more or less broken band forming an uneven 

 zone. The shell then becomes opalescent, having a bluish 

 reflection in the high light. 



The egg is laid singly on the blade or stem of grass. 



The larva escapes from the egg by eating away the shell in a 

 line for about two-thirds of the circumference just below the 

 crown ; it then forces itself out, the crown acting like a lid. 



Directly after emergence the larva measures j\y in. long. The 

 body is slightly attenuated posteriorly, and strongly wrinkled 

 transversely, each of the abdominal segments having six sub- 

 divisions, the first of each being the widest. There are five 

 longitudinal dull amber-coloured lines, one medio-dorsal and 

 two on each side, i.e. one subdorsal and one immediately above 

 the spiracles ; between these last two is a very fine and rather 

 broken-up line of the same colour ; the lateral ridge is somewhat 

 whiter than the dorsal surface, which is a pale pearly ochreous ; 

 the ventral surface is rather darker ochreous. The anal points 

 end in a short, slightly curved bristle. On the side of each seg- 

 ment are five minute dusky claw-like points, all projecting back- 

 wards, two between the dorsal lines, one just above the spiracle 

 and two just below it ; on the claspers, legs, and last three seg- 

 ments are simple white spines. The spiracles are dull olive- 

 brown. The head is large and globular, light ochreous in colour, 

 beset with tiny white points ; eye-spots black. 



The young larvae refused to feed on the beaked rush, but on 

 supplying them with Poa annua they at once started feeding, 

 and continued feeding well upon it. They feed during daytime 

 when young. 



First moult, August 24th. 



Before first moult, twelve days old, it measures J in. long ; 

 the ground colour is then greenish ochreous, but almost pure 

 green over the greater part of the anterior half, due to the food 

 showing through its semi-transparent body. The amber stripes 

 of its earlier life are now of a darker hue, being drab, bordered 

 below by a whitish line along the edge of the side stripes. 



Before second moult it measures I in. long, ground colour 

 green, with darker green medio-dorsal, subdorsal, and spiracular 

 longitudinal stripes ; the first is bordered on each side by a fine 

 whitish line, the subdorsal is bordered above by a broader and 

 more conspicuous whitish stripe, and bordered below by a darker 



