THE r;NTOM0L0GIST. 150 



introduced into our lists. The eggs are laid, in confinement, 

 on Polygonum aviculare (common knot-grass), a plant which 

 grows freely in three of the localities where the perfect insect 

 occurs, but not in tiie fourth ; it therefore appears probable 

 that in a state of nature the larva feeds on some other plant. 

 The eggs are hatched in a few days, and the young larvae 

 feed freely on the knot-grass throughout July ; in August 

 and September they a])pear to have attained their full size, 

 and then hybernate, attached by their claspers to the stems 

 of the knot-grass. In the spring they feed for a short time, 

 and are full-fed in May. [The full-^rown larva rests in a 

 very rigid position on its food-plant, attached by its anal and 

 ventral claspers ; it is bent at the latter, the anterior part of 

 the body being invariably held at an angle of about forty-five 

 degrees; the feet crowded together, and the first pair touch- 

 ing the mouth : when touched or annoyed it tucks in its 

 head, and thus bends its body into a very elegant volute : 

 the head is exserted, scarcely so wide as the '2nd segment, 

 prone, and manifestly notched on the crown : body much 

 attenuated anteriorly, and having a dilated lateral skinfold, 

 which gives it an increasing width from the 3rd to the 9th 

 segment, inclusive, which is decidedly the widest; the 10th 

 and following segments are restricted and extremely verru- 

 cose ; every segment is slightly wider at its ))osterior than at 

 its anterior margin, so that the sides, when viewed from 

 above, have a notched or serrated appearance ; the segments 

 are transversely, deeply and regularly wrinkled, scabrous, 

 and sparingly beset with bristles, which on the anterior 

 segments are directed forwards *, the transverse wrinkles 

 generally divide each segment into eight very narrow but 

 very distinct sections. Colour of the head and body dull 

 brown ; the dorsal area of the latter has five pairs of very 

 slender stripes, of which the medio-dorsal ])air is direct and 

 continuous from the head to the anal flap ; the next pair 

 commences on each side of the 5th segment, and terminates 

 on the 9th segment ; this pair is sinuous on the Cth and 7th 

 segments, widely distant from the medio-dorsal pair at the 

 anterior margin of both the 8th and 9th segments, but closely 

 approximate to the medio-dorsal pair at the posterior margin 

 of the same segments, thus enclosing a somewhat pear-shaped 

 area on each of these segments ; and each area so enclosed 



