208 LEPID OP TERA . 



paler ; undersurface pale green or yellow ; doi-sal plate black, 

 divided by the commencement of a white or yellow dorsal 

 line, which is continued as a dorsal row of elongated yellow 

 streaks or spots, one on each segment ; subdorsal lines 

 sometimes shown on the dorsal plate as lines, in other 

 cases as dots, in all continued in dots of white or yellow 

 on the body segments ; legs dull green or greenish-grey. 

 When just hatched the young larva is black and hairy, 

 afterwards more grey, and only gradually assumes the greener 

 colouring. 



October till May on the minute powdery or scaly lichens, 

 especially yellow lichens, which grow upon the perpendicular 

 surfaces of walls and rocks ; feeding upon these only when 

 moist with dew or rain, and usually at night or early morn- 

 ing ; making for itself a chamber of silk and lichen on the 

 surface, or in a crevice, aud there hiding during the day, or 

 even for days and nights so long as the weather remains dry 

 and without dew. So much is this the case, that in long 

 spells of drought it will sometimes become quite thin and 

 starved, the head looking large in comparison to the shrivelled 

 body, but should rain commence it will occasionally come 

 out from this chamber to feed in the daytime. It is said 

 not to return always to the same domicile, but will enter any 

 such chamber which it finds open and empty, and close it 

 up, while the lawful owner will travel farther till it also 

 finds an empty chamber, with the same result, no larva ever 

 striving to eject another, but if unable to find a chamber 

 ready-made searching out a suitable crevice and quickly 

 building a new home. Unfortunately the sparrows, with 

 the peculiar instinct for mischief with which those familiar 

 birds seem to be provided, have discovered the secret of 

 these lichen-covered chambers, and may often be seen cling- 

 ing to a wall, and giving themselves ten times as much 

 trouble as it would cost them to find some common but 

 injurious larva, to hunt out and devour this perfectly harmless 

 tit-bit. The house in which Mr. G. C. Bignell — some of 



