TRIFIDjE. 187 



Larva slender, cylindrical, uniform in bulk throughout, 

 save that the third segment seems a little swollen, and the 

 last three taper slightly to the anal flap, which is bluntly 

 rounded or almost squared off; head hard and globular, 

 about as wide as the second segment ; there are two pairs 

 of ventral prolegs fully developed and effective, and the 

 rudiments of another pair unused. Head yellowish-green ; 

 colour of the body full velvety-green with a pulsating dorsal 

 vessel of a darker tint ; subdorsal line slender, whitish- 

 green ; spiracular line broader, very pale yellow ; hinder 

 segments paler than the dorsal portion of the remainder; 

 spiracles indistinctly brown ; undersurface paler but still of 

 a soft rich green. (W. Buckler.) 



July and the beginning of August on Car ex sylvatica and 

 other sedges and coarse grasses. When at rest stretched out 

 at full length on the leaves or blades of its food ; looping in 

 walking, and jumping about angrily if touched. 



Pupa short and thick, greenish-brown. In a cocoon of 

 earth and vegetable substances, under ground. (Hofmann.) 



This moth is found only in marshy places, bogs, and fens. 

 Its habits vary in some degree in different places. In the 

 wet fens of Norfolk it hides among the coarse herbage in the 

 daytime, but if disturbed will start up and fly to some little 

 distance, then drop down into the herbage and hide at the 

 roots, so that it can hardly by any searching be discovered, 

 and can by no means (unless perhaps by smoke) be induced 

 to fly again. But in dryer marshes, such as often surround 

 fish ponds, where it is sometimes abundant, it behaves quite 

 ■differently, starting up readily enough, but only to fly around 

 for a few yards, to settle and rise again and again if 

 followed. This contrast of habits I observed many times 

 in the same localities. In the boggy districts of the south- 

 west of Ireland it hides among the sweet gale (bog-myrtle) 

 and flies out with great readiness. In very hot sunshine it 

 flies voluntarily and is sometimes extremely active, as also is 



