32 HABITS OF 



Habits of the Larvce. 



The larvae feed on almost all classes of phsenero- 

 gamic plants, but having a decided preference (so far 

 at least as our present knowledge goes) for trees such 

 as Betula, Salix, Populus, Alnus, and Pinus. To these 

 plants they not unfrequently do great damage. Osiers 

 suffer severely from the attacks of species of Nematus 

 on the leaves ; Salix pentandra I have seen killed by 

 the Cnjptocampus pentandrce ; Nematus pavidus is 

 injurious to some of the small willows ; and N. miliaris 

 too often strips the leaves of 8. pentandra. Various 

 species of Lophyrus have, on different occasions, 

 devastated the pine forests along with the pine-feeding 

 LydoB. Our cultivated plants have not escaped from 

 their ravages, as the attacks of Athalia spinarum on 

 the turnip, Nematus ribesii on the gooseberry, and 

 Eriocampa adumbrata on pear and plum trees, too often 

 bear testimony. 



I have drawn up a list of the food-plants so far as 

 they are known to me. I have thought it as well to 

 include species not yet known to inhabit Britain, so as 

 to serve as a guide to the student by showing him what 

 he may expect to find on the various plants. The great 

 majority of the species, it may be added, confine them- 

 selves to the same food-plant ; some, however, feed 

 indifferently on plants belonging to the same natural 

 order, while one or two species attack plants of diverse 

 orders. 



LIST of FOOD-PLANTS. 



Celmatis Vitalba. Blennocampa croceiventris, Kl. 

 Clematis erecta. ? Athalia abdominalis, F. (see 

 postea). 



Ranunculus bulbosus. Amasis laeta, F. 

 Ranunculus Ficaria. ? Blen. albipes, Schr. 

 Ranunculus acris. Nematus Fahrei, Dim. 



