ANTHROCERA TRIPOLII SUBSP. PALUSTRIS. 505 



PARASITES. (1) Cryptus ? zyt/aenarnm, Ratz., appears at the same 

 time as the imago, emerging by a round hole near the front of the cocoon. 

 (2) Microffonter ? sp., whose larvae bore their way out of the half- or 

 nearly full-grown larva of the host, and spin white silken cocoons, 

 usually upon the body of the dying victim. (3) Pteromalina ? sp., 

 which emerged through dorsum of the pupa and cocoon on July 31st. 

 (4) A fat lemon-yellow coloured grub which lives in the larva and 

 pupa, and probably does not mature until the next year (Speyer). 

 Blepharidn vulijaris, Fin., a dipterous parasite, was bred from A. 

 palustriti, from Kennes (Oberthur tcste Austin). 



FOOD-PLANTS. The large trefoil found in marshes, and on that plant 

 only (Briggs), / Lotus uliyinosus (Speyer). 



HABITAT. This exceedingly local and gregarious subspecies appears 

 to confine itself almost entirely to a distinctly marshy habitat. It 

 may be a piece of real marsh, now isolated from the sea, as at Sand- 

 wich. It may be a swamp where a river takes its origin, and soaks 

 the ground around, as at Freshwater (Isle of Wight), or it may be a 

 marsh among the low coast sand-hills, wet enough in winter and 

 spring, but fairly dry in summer, as at Waxham, in Norfolk. At 

 Gamlingay it occurs in a disused brickfield, whilst near Ipswich it 

 appears on marshy land. At Barmouth it occurs along the sides of 

 the estuary of the Mawddach ; at Hale, on a marsh, but on the road- 

 side leading from there to Ditton ; in a boggy meadow (now drained) 

 between Carmarthen and St. dear's, and always in wet places in the 

 Isle of Purbeck. At Aldermaston it occurs in damp meadows between 

 large ponds ; near Dorchester, on a boggy common with much rush, 

 bracken and alder, and at Tuddenham it occurs on a bog, the cocoons 

 on rush, etc. In the Isle of Man it is found on the Ballaugh 

 Curraghs, near Sulby, and near Worthing it finds a home in a heathy 

 bog. At Sandown it occurs at the edge of the cliff and undercliff, on 

 damp reedy ground, and also in a marshy meadow a little way inland. 

 At Ippolytts Common, nr. Hitchin, Herts, in a small fen, the large form 

 occurred in thousands, and flew all over the fen in the sunshine, giving 

 a most distinct " pink appearance " to the landscape ; Durrant notes 

 that he has never elsewhere seen any species so abundant, nor produce 

 such an effect. At King's Lynn it is sometimes very abundant in the 

 corners of heaths (Atmore). In Herm it occurs on a sandy common on 

 the coast (Luff). On the Continent, it is found on the marshy banks of 

 the Weise and the Plone, nr. Damrn. Speyer says that in north-west 

 Germany, its localities are, without exception, wet swampy meadows, 

 in which it sometimes appears in immense numbers ; it was especially 

 common there in 1873, 1874 and 1875. Its most remarkable habitat, 

 however, is that near Bennes, where Oberthiir finds, in May and June, 

 the cocoons on stems of grass, in an avenue of chestnut trees, and in 

 the ridings of a wood about a league from the town. He finds it, how- 

 ever, in the marshes near the seaside, at Cancale, and in the Isles of 

 Chausey, etc., in July and August. 



TIME OF APPEARANCE. It varies according to the season, but is 

 rarely out before the commencement of July, except in the very earliest 

 seasons. Its average time of emergence is, perhaps, from July 10th- 

 20th, but in late seasons it runs well into August. Hodges notes 

 that, at Freshwater, July 10th-12th may be considered the average 

 date of emergence, but that lame are to be found spinning up after 



