TRIFID/E. 401 



Lakva not active, elongated, cylindrical, but the segments 

 rather deeply divided, hardly tapering at either extremity ; 

 head rounded but somewhat flattened, shining pale brown, 

 mouth darker ; dorsal plate broad, shining horn-colour with 

 darker clouding in front and a smoky-black edging on each 

 side, also faintly divided in the middle by a white line ; anal 

 segment also covered with a large, convex, dull, horny plate, 

 set with fine hairs and edged in front with smoky-black ; 

 twelfth segment edged at front and back with black-brown 

 clouds, and the eleventh at the back with the same ; other- 

 wise the dorsal region is of a dull pale liver-colour or yellowish- 

 pink, edged with paler at the sides ; spiracles large, smoky- 

 brown ; in front of each are placed two similar small dots, 

 and one below ; undersurface, to these dots, yellowish-white ; 

 legs and prolegs very similar in colour. When younger the 

 general colour is wholly dull yellowish-white ; and the head 

 and plates are sometimes brown-black. Larvas for description 

 here were supplied by Mr. F. J. Hanbury. 



September to May or June on Phalaris arundinacca, a 

 large strong grass which grows in wet places and on the edges 

 of ditches and streams, but is also, in a striped variety known 

 as " ribbon-grass " or " gardener's garters," grown freely in 

 old gardens. The larva lives within the central stem, eating 

 out the young growing shoot, but leaves the grass to hyber- 

 nate in the ground during the severity of winter, returning to 

 the grass and feeding up in the same manner in the spring. 



Pupa very cylindrical to the ends of the wing-cases, and 

 having these and the limb-covers exceedingly smooth and 

 glossy ; eye and head-covers slightly prominent, above these 

 the front is rather blunt ; all these parts are sculptured in 

 very minute incised lines which do not interfere with their 

 brilliant gloss ; red-brown with an orange tint ; the dorsal 

 and abdominal segments also brilliant, deeper red, but with a 

 narrow band of minute abundant pitting on the anterior, and 

 a dark smooth band on the posterior edge of each ; cremaster 



VOL. IV. 2 c 



