﻿Habits 
  of 
  Various 
  Insects. 
  119 
  

  

  deposit 
  their 
  eggs, 
  and 
  always 
  put 
  them 
  as 
  near 
  to 
  the 
  centre 
  as 
  

   they 
  can 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  maggots 
  are 
  developed, 
  they 
  eat 
  

   their 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  interior, 
  where 
  they 
  find 
  the 
  most 
  food. 
  There 
  

   is 
  no 
  fear 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  being 
  killed 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  

   carcase. 
  The 
  flies 
  put 
  their 
  eggs 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  they 
  can 
  into 
  the 
  

   meat 
  or 
  carcase, 
  where 
  they 
  find 
  moisture, 
  which 
  hastens 
  their 
  

   development. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  exterior 
  part 
  

   of 
  a 
  dead 
  carcase, 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  meat 
  of 
  any 
  

   kind; 
  but 
  the 
  flies 
  take 
  care 
  to 
  put 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  hollow 
  and 
  moist 
  

   places, 
  where 
  they 
  soon 
  hatch 
  ; 
  and 
  if 
  you 
  open 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  

   any 
  dead 
  animals, 
  you 
  may 
  find 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  large 
  quantities. 
  

   VVhen 
  they 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs 
  on 
  a 
  living 
  sheep, 
  they 
  are 
  close 
  

   on 
  the 
  skin, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  moist. 
  

  

  XVIII. 
  Contributions 
  towards 
  the 
  Natural 
  History 
  of 
  

   British 
  Microlepidoptera. 
  By 
  J. 
  W. 
  Douglas, 
  Esq. 
  — 
  

   {Continued 
  from 
  page 
  81.) 
  

  

  [Read 
  6th 
  December, 
  1852.] 
  

  

  Genus 
  Lithocolletis, 
  Zeller. 
  (PI. 
  XIII.) 
  

   The 
  perfect 
  insects 
  of 
  this 
  genus 
  may 
  be 
  known 
  at 
  a 
  glance 
  by 
  

   the 
  slenderness 
  of 
  their 
  structure, 
  the 
  smallness 
  of 
  the 
  thorax, 
  

   and 
  the 
  characteristic 
  markings 
  of 
  the 
  anterior 
  wings. 
  These 
  

   latter 
  are 
  fine 
  lines 
  on 
  the 
  apical 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  wing, 
  sloping 
  from 
  

   either 
  margin 
  towards 
  the 
  apex, 
  frequently 
  meeting 
  on 
  the 
  disk, 
  

   and 
  forming 
  angles 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  acute. 
  The 
  general 
  similarity 
  of 
  

   many 
  species 
  has 
  caused 
  great 
  difficulty 
  in 
  recognising 
  their 
  

   distinctive 
  characters 
  ; 
  but 
  though 
  by 
  practice 
  they 
  become 
  more 
  

   easy 
  to 
  separate, 
  yet 
  the 
  most 
  satisfactory 
  mode 
  of 
  determining 
  

   them 
  is 
  to 
  rear 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  caterpillar 
  state. 
  Zeller 
  has 
  

   observed 
  (Linnaja 
  Entomologica, 
  i. 
  169), 
  that 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   cilia 
  of 
  the 
  anterior 
  wings 
  being 
  coloured 
  and 
  scaled 
  like 
  the 
  wings 
  

   themselves, 
  the 
  true 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  only 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  

   under 
  side. 
  

  

  The 
  larvae 
  have 
  but 
  fourteen 
  feet, 
  the 
  fourth 
  ventral 
  pair 
  being 
  

   absent 
  ; 
  the 
  whole 
  body 
  is 
  flattened, 
  the 
  head 
  small, 
  and 
  the 
  

   three 
  thoracic 
  segments 
  generally 
  much 
  widened 
  ; 
  this 
  last 
  fact 
  

   being 
  the 
  more 
  remarkable 
  when 
  contrasted 
  with 
  the 
  narrow 
  

  

  