﻿the 
  Life 
  History 
  of 
  Lycaena 
  euphemus. 
  453 
  

  

  above 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  curious 
  square 
  aspect, 
  the 
  eight 
  middle 
  

   segments 
  form 
  a 
  parallelogram 
  divided 
  into 
  eight 
  segments, 
  

   and 
  the 
  prothorax 
  in 
  front 
  and 
  the 
  7th 
  to 
  10th 
  abdominal 
  

   segments 
  behind, 
  form 
  two 
  nearly 
  semicircular 
  ends 
  of 
  

   about 
  equal 
  dimensions. 
  

  

  Once 
  established 
  in 
  the 
  ants' 
  nests 
  they 
  grow 
  rapidly. 
  

   In 
  a 
  week 
  the 
  4*5 
  mm. 
  larva 
  becomes 
  about 
  7 
  mm. 
  long, 
  

   and 
  looks 
  a 
  little 
  more 
  when 
  stretched 
  ; 
  but 
  a 
  week 
  or 
  ten 
  

   days 
  later 
  it 
  is 
  no 
  larger, 
  looks 
  even 
  smaller 
  as 
  though 
  

   ceasing 
  feeding 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  hibernation. 
  

  

  I 
  saw 
  a 
  larva 
  eating 
  an 
  ant 
  grub, 
  which 
  it 
  did 
  very 
  

   rapidly; 
  the 
  larva 
  maintained 
  its 
  stiff, 
  straight 
  attitude; 
  

   it 
  had 
  the 
  ant 
  grub 
  beneath 
  the 
  thorax, 
  held 
  it, 
  and 
  moved 
  

   it 
  forward 
  with 
  its 
  true 
  legs, 
  and 
  finished 
  it 
  by 
  pressing 
  it 
  

   against 
  the 
  glass, 
  through 
  which 
  I 
  was 
  observing 
  it. 
  The 
  

   head 
  was 
  all 
  the 
  time 
  retracted 
  within 
  the 
  prothorax 
  

   with 
  the 
  jaws 
  pointing 
  downwards 
  ; 
  the 
  hollow 
  in 
  the 
  

   prothorax 
  was 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  head 
  much 
  free- 
  

   dom 
  of 
  movement, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  meal 
  was 
  finished 
  it 
  might 
  

   be 
  said 
  to 
  lick 
  its 
  chops, 
  as 
  it 
  passed 
  its 
  mouth 
  rapidly 
  

   with 
  licking-like 
  movements 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  interior 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  prothoracic 
  hood, 
  as 
  though 
  cleaning 
  off 
  any 
  

   fluids 
  from 
  the 
  eaten 
  ant 
  grub, 
  and 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  resist 
  the 
  

   conclusion 
  that 
  that 
  was 
  what 
  it 
  was 
  actually 
  doing. 
  This 
  

   process 
  of 
  eating 
  was 
  very 
  different 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  L. 
  alcon. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  a 
  larva 
  actually 
  amongst 
  the 
  ant 
  

   brood, 
  as 
  was 
  so 
  usual 
  with 
  L. 
  alcon, 
  nor 
  have 
  I 
  seen 
  an 
  ant 
  

   take 
  any 
  notice 
  whatever 
  of 
  a 
  larva— 
  -they 
  run 
  over 
  them 
  

   and 
  past 
  them 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  were 
  merely 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  nests. 
  

   The 
  larvae 
  are 
  fairly 
  active, 
  may 
  often 
  be 
  seen 
  moving 
  

   about, 
  but 
  are 
  usually 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  a 
  

   short 
  way 
  from 
  the 
  ant 
  brood. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  seen 
  no 
  ant 
  milking 
  a 
  larva, 
  except 
  when 
  I 
  was 
  

   watching 
  for 
  a 
  larva 
  to 
  be 
  carried 
  into 
  the 
  nest 
  ; 
  in 
  this 
  

   case 
  the 
  larva 
  offered 
  a 
  fluid 
  at 
  the 
  honey-gland, 
  which 
  

   was 
  taken 
  by 
  a 
  passing 
  ant, 
  who 
  took 
  no 
  further 
  notice. 
  

   Further 
  fluid 
  was 
  secreted 
  and 
  accepted 
  by 
  other 
  ants 
  

   three 
  or 
  four 
  times 
  in 
  one 
  case, 
  but 
  the 
  ants 
  made 
  no 
  

   further 
  overtures. 
  

  

  On 
  Sept. 
  17 
  a 
  larva 
  was 
  taken 
  from 
  nest 
  3 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  

   be 
  figured 
  ; 
  it 
  came 
  back 
  on 
  the 
  21st 
  and 
  looked 
  well 
  ; 
  it 
  

   was 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  nest. 
  The 
  ants 
  paid 
  a 
  little 
  more 
  

   attention 
  to 
  it 
  than 
  they 
  usually 
  do 
  to 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  L. 
  

   ewphemus, 
  which 
  is, 
  indeed, 
  practically 
  none 
  at 
  all. 
  They 
  

  

  