100 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



is laid on Dactylis glouierata (cock's-foot grass) and other 

 grasses, in June, and the larva is full-fed the second week in 

 August, when it feeds almost exclusively by night, reposing 

 by day near the ground, on the stem of its food-plant, in a 

 perfectly straight position : when annoyed it rolls itself in a 

 compact ring, falling to the ground and remaining concealed 

 at the roots of the grasses. Head semiglobose, of the same 

 breadth as the 2nd segment : body almost nuiforuily cylin- 

 drical, slightly narrower towards the anal extremity ; anal 

 claspers projecting beyond the anal flap, slightly spreading. 

 Head glabrous, wainscot-brown, delicately reticulated with 

 darker brown, and having two dark brown stripes down the 

 face, which are approximate on the crown, but divide towards 

 the raoulh, enclosing the clypeiis ; colour of the body wain- 

 scot-brown, variegated throughout the dorsal surface with 

 delicate rivulet markings, of both darker and paler brown, 

 and having four black dots, arranged as a trapezoid, on the 

 dorsal surface of every segment from the 5th to the 12th 

 inclusive; the 2nd segment has a semicircular semicorneous 

 shield, its truncated margin next the head; this is traversed 

 by three distinct pale stripes, which, are continued indis- 

 tinctly throughout the entire length of the larva, and are 

 bordered with dark brown dots and shades, here and there 

 massed into patches ; spiracles intensely black, and iuniie- 

 diately below them is a ralher broad and very distinct pale 

 stripe ; ventral surface tinged with ])urplish semilransparent 

 green ; legs and claspers of the same colour : changes to a 

 smooth brown pupa beneath the surface of the ground, and 

 the perfect insect appears in June. I am indebted to Mr. 

 Buckler for this larva. — Edward Neivman. 



Description of Ihe Larva of Mamestra alhicolon. — Egg 

 laid in May and June, on the garden lettuce and other 

 esculents : larva full-fed about the 20th of July, when it falls 

 from its food-plant and rolls in a compact ring if disturbed. 

 Head rather narrower than the 2nd segment : body almost 

 uniformly cylindrical, very smooth and velvety, slightly de- 

 creasing towards either extremity. Colour of tlie head pale 

 semitransparent green, glabrous; 2nd segment with its ante- 

 rior margin lunately glabrous, and resembling the head in 

 colour ; body grass-green, with a medio-dorsal stripe slightly 

 darker, and intersected by an extremely narrow paler stripe : 



