466 Ml'. George Elislia on tJtc 



of the food-plant it attaches to its body, which on some 

 adult larviie are often three-quarters of an inch in length. 

 "When the pieces are first attached to the body they are, of 

 course, green and fresh, but they soon become discoloured, 

 and in a few days are withered and brown ; then the 

 larvae, in their curved position, so exactly resemble the 

 dead shoots of their food-plant that they are extremely 

 difficult to detect, unless some movement betrays them, 

 or one is familiar with their peculiar appearance. Thus 

 it is evident that the object of the larvffi in attaching 

 these pieces to their bodies is for the purpose of pro- 

 tection against their numerous enemies. 



The larvffi continue feeding till about the end of 

 October, by which time they have attained the length of 

 one-half to three-quarters of an inch, after which they 

 fix themselves to the food-plant, and remain motionless 

 during the winter months. With the first warm days of 

 spring, towards the end of February, they begin moving; 

 and about the first week of March, when the Artemisia is 

 again appearing above the ground, they commence 

 feeding, soon after which they moult and again cover 

 themselves with pieces of the food-plant, which, being now 

 green and fresh, give them a healthy appearance. About 

 the middle of June they are full-grown, when they rest 

 for a day or two, and then spin a loose network cocoon ; 

 (this they form by drawing together, with silken threads, 

 the pieces of the A)ie)iiisia that are thickly adhering 

 to their bodies, into an oval-shaped covering attached 

 to the stem of the food-plant), and in it the_y change 

 to a greyish pupa, with the striped wing-cases showing 

 ver_y distinctly. 



The larva, when full-fed, is about an inch and a 

 quarter long, of a dirty greyish colour, with darker lines 

 along the body, the skin very rough, and the head and legs 

 brown ; but, owing to its being covered so entirel}^ with 

 the dead and brown portions of the food-plant, it is 

 extremely difficult to make out the exact markings. It 

 sometimes feeds at dusk, but more frequently during the 

 morning sunshine, and at times, when the sun is hot, it 

 cats most voraciously, appearing in a very excited state 

 during the wliole time the sun is shining upon it. This 

 necessity for sunshine constitutes one of the many diffi- 

 culties the collector has to contend with in rearing these 

 larva), for the sun is, of course, a great obstacle to keeping 



