THE SATYRINE GENUS MELANARGIA, MEIGEN. 159 



Lang figures the larva of Galatea, apparently an indifferent 

 copy from some other author, as copies are apt to be (' Butter- 

 flies of Europe,' pi. Ixxvi, fig. 1). A more convincing and minute 

 study, bearing the stamp of familiarity with the living model, 

 is that of the larva in its several moults, and of the pupa on 

 pi. iii, fig. 4, of Buckler and Hellins's ' Larvte of the British 

 Butterflies and Moths,' vol. i. Frionnet (' Premiers Etats des 

 Lepids. Franyais," pp. 209-10) remarks that the green form of 

 the larva seems to produce principally females, and Lelievre, 

 writing in the 'Feuille des Jeunes Naturalistes ' (1895, p. 61), 

 comments on the wonderful vitality of the larva, which under 

 his observation remained four months without food. Frionnet 

 also states that favourite grasses of the species are in France : 

 Phleiim pratense, Holciis viollis and H. lanatus, Brachypodium 

 pinnatum, and Triticuvi repens. 



As regards, then, the specific value of M. lucasi, after reading 

 Mr. Harold Powell's and M. Lucas's notes on the subject, it is 

 difficult to decide whereon the claim to separate identity rests. 

 Ova extracted from the body of the female closely resembled 

 those deposited by Galatea procida in the South of France. The 

 larva also is practically indistinguishable, save for size, from that 

 of Procida. The pupa differs only from that of Procida in the 

 same respect. The habits of the larva and the methods of pupation 

 are identical, while Lucasi, following upon the lines of variation 

 common to all the three in the group, as a perfect insect 

 resembles Procida in every way except that it is a finer insect ; 

 haunting, after the fashion of its congeners, grassy plots on the 

 hills and meadows, and not the drier hills and plains sometimes 

 affected by Ijachesis, and but seldom or never in my experience 

 by Galatea. 



The resemblance also of M. lacliesis in its earlier stages to 

 M. cleanthe galatea procida is emphasised by Mr. Harold Powell 

 in his " Notes on the Ovum and Young Larva " (' Entomologist's 

 Record,' vol. xviii, 1906, pp. 302-305) : " The ova received from 

 Miss Fountaine from All)arracin, South-East Spain, August, 

 1905," he says, " in general appearance resembled those of 

 M. var. procida." He then proceeds to describe the young larva 

 with great minuteness ; but the observations were not carried 

 beyond the first instar ; at all events, no further publication 

 appears to have been made on this occasion. 



Milliere ('Icon.,' vol. ii, p. 92) figures Lachesis [loc. cit., pi. Ixii, 

 larva, fig. 4, imago, fig. 5), a very beautiful and characteristic 

 drawing. Of the larva he writes i7iter alia : " Sa couleur generale 

 est carnee avec les lignes ordin;i.ires d'nn carmine j^ale " ; and 

 to a somewhat detailed description of the larva he adds that it is 

 a night-feeder and affects by preference the grass Lamarckia anrea. 



I have no present information whether there is a green form 

 of this larva, but enough has been said to demonstrate how 



