286 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



flower-stem of Calamagrostis epigeios, and the larva enters the 

 stem and feeds downwards, and hybernates towards the base of 

 the stem. In the spring when the grass begins to shoot again, 

 it feeds low down among the basal shoots. It enters several 

 plants before it is full-fed. When about to pupate, it enters the 

 earth and spins a strong cocoon. 



Tapinostola hellmanni. 



Ova laid August 8th-12th, 1909. Ovum round, ^ mm. in 

 diameter, colour creamy white, covered with a glutinous sub- 

 stance, no markings visible, except some very slight ribbings, 

 but these were most likely caused by the pressure of the grass- 

 stem. Commenced to hatch August 18th, 1909. 



Larva. — Length 2|^ mm., of a shining whitish colour; head 

 rather large and of a light yellowish brown colour; prothoracic 

 plate creamy ; anal plate blackish ; body covered with fine hair. 

 Larva full-fed, June 15th, 1910. — Length about 20 mm., tapering 

 from middle to head, rather less towards tail. Colour creamy 

 white ; head brown. Prothoracic plate ochreous ; anal plate 

 ochreous, except the front part of it, which is blackish, and it 

 extends to thirteenth segment. True legs yellowish ; prolegs 

 creamy with black hooks ; spiracles black. A few bristles from 

 tubercles. A good many bristks on anal plate. 



Pupa. — 12 mm. long, shining yellow. Kremaster with two 

 long straight spines, and two short hooks curved outwards, 

 enclosed in a stout earthen cocoon. 



The eggs are laid in batches within the sheathing-leaf of the 

 flower-stem of Calamagrostis lanceolata and C. epigeios, and the 

 larva enters the stem and feeds downwards, and hybernates 

 towards the base of the stem. In the spring it feeds in several 

 plants before it is full-fed. It leaves the plant when about to 

 pupate, and spins a strong earthen cocoon. 



The larvae of concolor and hellmanni are so very much alike 

 that it is difficult to tell them unless one has them side by side. 

 They feed in identically the same way, and their habits are 

 similar. They cause the leaves to turn yellowish and wither, 

 but are hard to find, as there are all the old leaves about in the 

 spring. The only way to find the larvae is to seek for isolated 

 plants, part the herbage right down to the root and see if there 

 is any frass or a yellowish leaf. The larvae are more often than 

 not just below the surface of the ground, as Calamagrostis is 

 a deep rooting plant. Buckler's figure of the larva of fidva 

 (vol. 4, Noctuae, pt. i. plate Ix. fig. 4) gives an excellent idea of 

 the shape of the larvae of both concolor and hellmanni. Concolor 

 is on the wing at the end of June and early July. Hellmanni 

 appears in Wicken Fen about the first week in August, but in 

 Huntingdonshire and Northamptonshire it appears at the same 

 time as concolor. The Wicken specimens of hellmanni are 



