﻿Natural 
  History 
  of 
  British 
  BlicroU'jjidoptera. 
  209 
  

  

  shape 
  closely 
  resembles 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  boat 
  with 
  an 
  elongated 
  prow. 
  

   Colour 
  at 
  first 
  pale 
  green, 
  both 
  ends 
  tipped 
  with 
  brown 
  ; 
  after- 
  

   wards 
  black-brown, 
  with 
  the 
  back 
  greyish 
  ; 
  two 
  white 
  dots 
  on 
  

   each 
  segment, 
  divided 
  by 
  a 
  fine 
  white 
  line 
  running 
  down 
  the 
  

   centre 
  and 
  connected 
  lengthwise 
  by 
  a 
  broader 
  black 
  line 
  ; 
  each 
  

   segment 
  is 
  bordered 
  transversely 
  by 
  a 
  fine 
  white 
  line, 
  close 
  to 
  

   which, 
  at 
  tlie 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  case, 
  is 
  a 
  black 
  mark. 
  The 
  

   antennae 
  reach 
  far 
  beyond 
  the 
  wing 
  cases. 
  

  

  The 
  pupa 
  is 
  suspended 
  under 
  a 
  leaf 
  in 
  a 
  fine 
  silky 
  spinning, 
  

   with 
  a 
  few 
  threads 
  drawn 
  across 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  tail, 
  holding 
  it 
  firm 
  ; 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  sometimes 
  seen 
  hung 
  up 
  by 
  these 
  alone, 
  like 
  a 
  hammock 
  

   (fig. 
  1 
  e). 
  The 
  pupa 
  state 
  exists 
  from 
  ten 
  to 
  fourteen 
  days. 
  

  

  Imago 
  (fig. 
  1). 
  The 
  perfect 
  insect 
  flies 
  but 
  little, 
  and 
  then 
  

   only 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  ; 
  if 
  the 
  leaf 
  or 
  twig 
  on 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  sitting 
  be 
  

   touched, 
  it 
  falls 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  ; 
  hence 
  the 
  reason 
  it 
  has 
  so 
  seldom 
  

   been 
  found. 
  Its 
  manner 
  of 
  sitting 
  is 
  peculiar. 
  It 
  loves 
  to 
  be 
  at 
  

   the 
  edge 
  of 
  a 
  leaf, 
  the 
  fore 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  body 
  raised 
  up 
  and 
  project- 
  

   ing 
  far 
  over, 
  the 
  fore 
  legs 
  drawn 
  in 
  — 
  not 
  put 
  out 
  like 
  a 
  Gracil- 
  

   laria 
  — 
  the 
  antennae 
  laid 
  along 
  its 
  side, 
  and 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  

   touching 
  the 
  leaf. 
  In 
  this 
  position 
  it 
  looks 
  as 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  asleep, 
  

   and 
  hence 
  probably 
  its 
  specific 
  name. 
  

  

  Genus 
  Elachista, 
  Treitschke. 
  (PI. 
  XVIII.) 
  

  

  Until 
  quite 
  recently 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  Elachistce 
  were 
  almost 
  

   unknown, 
  although 
  the 
  smaller 
  ones 
  of 
  Lithocolletis, 
  Bucculatrix 
  

   and 
  Neplicula 
  had 
  been 
  discovered. 
  In 
  1851, 
  Mr. 
  Logan 
  bred 
  

   one 
  species 
  from 
  the 
  stem 
  of 
  a 
  grass 
  ; 
  last 
  year 
  I 
  also 
  found 
  a 
  

   larva 
  in 
  a 
  blade 
  of 
  grass, 
  and 
  this 
  spring 
  several 
  other 
  species 
  

   have 
  been 
  detected, 
  chiefly 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Stainton 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Scott 
  of 
  

   Renfrew 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  having, 
  we 
  believe, 
  found 
  out 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  the 
  

   larvae 
  of 
  the 
  genus, 
  there 
  is 
  now 
  reason 
  to 
  hope 
  we 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  

   right 
  way 
  to 
  obtain 
  all 
  the 
  species— 
  at 
  least 
  that 
  numerous 
  section 
  

   which, 
  in 
  Stainton's 
  Catalogue, 
  begins 
  with 
  albifrontella 
  and 
  ends 
  

   with 
  Cygnipennclla, 
  and 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  following 
  observations 
  re- 
  

   late. 
  All 
  hitherto 
  found 
  mine 
  in 
  blades 
  of 
  grass 
  between 
  the 
  

   cuticles; 
  and 
  though 
  the 
  tracks 
  they 
  make 
  soon 
  become 
  dis- 
  

   coloured, 
  it 
  requires 
  some 
  practice 
  and 
  patience 
  to 
  see 
  them, 
  but 
  

   different 
  species 
  may 
  be 
  recognized 
  by 
  the 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  

   of 
  making 
  the 
  mine, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  different 
  species 
  of 
  grass 
  attacked. 
  

   If, 
  as 
  is 
  probable, 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  this 
  section 
  be 
  grass- 
  

   miners, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  as 
  well, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  facilitate 
  future 
  discoveries, 
  

   to 
  show 
  in 
  how 
  many 
  points 
  those 
  at 
  present 
  observed 
  differ 
  from 
  

  

  VOL. 
  II. 
  N.S. 
  PART 
  VII, 
  JAN. 
  1854. 
  P 
  

  

  