outline of the Life History of Lycaena arion. 307 



noted on 25tli. The smaller one is indeed rather larger, 

 about 6*0 mm. long, it has some dark material over last 

 segment or two, almost suggesting it had been bitten by 

 ants and exudation had dried ; the larger one has retreated 

 into a small recess (opening prepared for communication 

 with exterior) and has not moved since yesterday, whether 

 ants are with it or not; it has a certain amount of dark 

 incrustation (of dirt?). 



29th. — Afternoon. The smaller larva is amongst the 

 ants and moving about amongst them, apparently quite 

 at home. 



The present conditions suggest that at the stage the larvae 

 have now reached they may have a habit of hiding amongst 

 the looser materials in or over the nest, not, of course, 

 afforded in these plaster nests, and feed less frequently 

 (not at all till spring?), and do not associate so freely with 

 the ants. At the recent rate of growth they would be 

 full-fed in a few weeks more, yet probably naturally there 

 is not from about this season onwards any excess of brood 

 on which they could feed. 



August 30th. — The dead scabrinodis larva, after a little 

 soaking, expanded to nearly 8 mm., and looked very like 

 it did when last seen looking well in the nest. It proved 

 to have been cut into, but none of the interior had been 

 eaten ; the shrinking may have been due to desiccation or 

 to the ants sucking the fluids; the honey-gland region 

 looked healthy and uninjured, but over much of the larva 

 were little hard black patches and spots that seemed to be 

 the same as a (fungus ?) disease that attacks larvae, and 

 has frequently done so in larvae I have reared ; the larvae 

 v\dien dead are often found to be very hard and solid 

 throughout. 



The largest sabuleti larva is found dead this morning in 

 the nest, close by the recess in which it was noted yesterday 

 as sheltering. It measured just over 7*0 mm., but looked 

 a little shrunken, and its living length was probably 8 to 

 9 mm. It was apparently wounded {post-mortem'^.) in 

 the honey-gland region. The cause of death appeared to 

 be the black mark disease, of which spots were on most 

 segments, but largely affected the 2nd thoracic and 1st 

 and 2nd abdominal, the two latter being affected over 

 nearly the whole dorsum. 



The gut extracted from this specimen showed some 

 accumulated material near the posterior end. It presented 



