Insects. 8297 



Notes on the Food and Economy of certain British Micro- 

 Ijepidoptera. By Mr. Charles Healy. 



1. Renewed Observations on the Carnivorous Propensity and Eco- 

 nomy of the Larva of Diplodoma marginepiinctella. 



Wishing to observe the carnivorous propensity of this larva more 

 closely, last June I searched for, and was fortunate enough to meet 

 with, the larvae in abundance : I found the males and females, and the 

 larvas in various stages of growth, all on the same fence at one and 

 the same time. 



My experience teaches me that, if well supplied with insects, the 

 larvae of this species evince no immediate desire to partake of white- 

 thorn leaves ; for example, on the 8th of June I put several larvae into 

 a jar along with an old case of the same species, one Plutella xylos- 

 tella, one Adela Degeerella, one Tortrix viridana, and a leaf of white- 

 thorn ; on the 9lh they had eaten all the particles of dead insects 

 affixed to the old case ; on the 11th the body of P. xylostella had dis- 

 appeared ; on the 14th the body of A. Degeerella had been devoured; 

 on the 15th I observed them feeding on the body of T. viridana; at 

 this date I put into the jar two specimens of Arctia Menthastri ; on 

 the 10th the body of T. viridana was entirely gone, and I observed 

 they were all engaged eating the bodies of the two A. Menthastri ; on 

 the 21st I observed they had eaten the whitethorn for the first time ; 

 from that date up to the present I have continued to supply them with 

 insects, only occasionally giving them a leaf of whitethorn. 



This case-bearing larva is not affected by being kept in a glass- 

 covered jar like a Coleophora larva would be. 



I have been much struck with another circumstance relative to 

 these exceedingly interesting larvae, namely, after they have fed 

 for a ie-w days, they climb up the jar and suspend themselves for 

 days and even weeks without partaking of a single particle of food. I 

 am strongly of opinion that the economy of this species is similar to 

 that of Talaeporia pseudo-bombycella, — the feu)ale having deposited 

 her eggs and covered them with down, that the young larvs use the 

 aforesaid down in constructing their first case. I observed a female 

 laying eggs on my setting-board ; she first laid an egg and afterwards 

 covered it with down ; then another egg, which she likewise covered ; 

 and so on, till she had deposited all her eggs : these eggs 1 put on one 

 side for further observations, but unfortunately they were swept away 

 and lost, and consequently I am unable to speak with certainty as to 



VOL. XX. 3 P 



