AXTHROCERA TRIFOLII. 491 



and in having much longer antennas with a more tapering point. The 

 antennas of (jracilis are identical with those of A. lonicerae ; it is at once 

 to be distinguished from it, however, by its smaller size, rounder apex 

 of fore-wings, and by the small size of the third spot. It agrees 

 with typical A. trifolii in wing-shape, but differs in its small size and 

 more slender build, in having longer antennae, and in the narrower 

 marginal border of hind-wings (which, however, varies in A. trifolii). 

 Fuchs, however, concludes by suggesting that it is an aberration of A. 

 trifolii, and states that the typical form of A. trifolii also occurs at 

 Bornich. 



OVUM. The ova are laid in groups, each egg being attached by its 

 long side to the object on which it is laid ; they are also slightly attached 

 to each other. The egg is of a bright yellow colour ; the shell shiny 

 (with many pieces of the dark scales of the imago attached to surface) ; 

 roughly cylindrical in shape, the outline being somewhat oval, with a 

 long oval depression on the upper side, roughly, the length : breadth : 

 height : : 10 : 7 : 6. The two ends vary in different eggs ; in some, the 

 micropylar end is broader than its nadir, in others there is practically no 

 difference between them. The micropylar end is, however, flattened, 

 and in the centre of this end is a distinct crater, somewhat shallow, 

 with a very simple stellate structure at the bottom of it. The egg is 

 finely, and very faintly, ribbed longitudinally, the space between the 

 ribs being reticulated irregularly. These ribs look almost like parallel 

 striations, and 10 were counted on the upper surface of one egg, some 

 of which crossed the central depression. At the micropylar end, this 

 irregular reticulation becomes roughly hexagonal, and the longi- 

 tudinal ribs" fail ; they are also absent at the opposite end, where, 

 however, the irregular reticulation is less distinctly, polygonal in form. 

 There are some depressions in the egg, caused apparently by pressure, 

 and the whole character of the egg suggests an exceedingly delicate 

 structure. [Eggs laid on June 8th, 1897, received from Mr. Christy, and 

 described on June 10th, under a two-thirds lens.] Hellins describes 

 the egg as oblong and rather flattened, rather over 1 mm. in length, 

 and about -7 mm. in width, the upper surface sunk, the shell thin and 

 rather glistening, wrinkled longitudinally, colour full yellow but 

 rather pale in tint. 



HABITS OF LARVA. Some larvae which hatched about the end of 

 June (1864), were, Hellins records, 4-5 mm. in length when hyber- 

 nation commenced. Another batch, in 1865, were half as long again 

 at this period. When preparing to hybernate they congregate in little 

 companies, each larva spinning for itself a silken pad, in order to ob- 

 tain a firm foothold. Luff informs us that on one occasion he found 

 young larvae of this species hybernating with the larvae of Melitaea 

 cina'ia, in a pear-shaped winter nest of the latter that was placed 

 in the centre of a tuft of grass. During the winter the larvae become 

 very pallid in colour, and Hellins suggests that this is for a protective 

 purpose, the torpid larvae closely resembling the withered stems of their 

 food-plant. They become active again in February, and go on feeding, 

 although at very different rates. Some feed up rapidly, and are full-fed 

 by the end of April and early May, others feed up slowly, and whilst the 

 others are preparing for pupation, commence to bybernate (and aestivate) 

 again, and feed no more until the following spring, passing another 

 winter in the larval state. Luff found very small larvae in Guernsey, 



