28 BKITISH BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 



To turn now to the transformations of Simaethis 

 pciriana. The parent moth deposits her eggs in July 

 on the leaves of apples. These eggs are soon hatched, 

 and produce small glassy larvae, furnished with sixteen 

 legs. They feed on the upper side of apple leaves, 

 spinning a slight web over themselves, and curving the 

 two edges of the leaf upwards, bringing them nearly 

 together. The larvse feed up rather rapidly and are of 

 a pale grey- green, with a broad yellowish dorsal line 

 and conspicuous black spots. When full fed they spin 

 a very thick elongate white cocoon, in which they 

 undergo their change to the pupa state, and in two or 

 three weeks the lively little moth makes its appearance, 

 and proceeds to expand and dry its wings ; we often see 

 it in gardens on the flowers of China asters, coreopsis, 

 etc., in the daytime during the months of September 

 and October. 



Now to consider the transformations of one of our 

 very small moths, Lyonetia Clerckella. The parent 

 insect deposits her eggs on the leaves of apple and 

 cherry trees. The larvae burrow into the leaves, and 

 live their whole lives between the two skins of the leaf. 

 By eating the inner substance of the leaf, and progress- 

 ing forward in the leaf as they feed, they form long, 

 slender, serpentine tracks. When the larvas, which are 

 elongate and have sixteen legs, are full fed, they come 

 out of the leaf and spin a few silken threads on the 

 under side of a leaf, amongst which they suspend them- 

 selves in a horizontal position, so that they are not in 

 contact with the leaf, and there undergo their change to 

 the pupa state. In about a fortnight or three weeks 

 the pupa-skin cracks, and the little white moth creeps 

 out and hastens to expand and dry its wings. 



