Insects. 9253 
purple at the centre of the segmental divisions. Centre of belly whitish or yellowish, 
witb a slender central green line—H. Harpur Crewe ; The Rectory, Drayton-Beau- 
champ, Tring, August 17, 1864. 
Notes on the Food-plant of Hupithecia pulchellata, and Description of the Larva and 
Pupo.—t have great pleasure in at last sending to the ‘ Zoologist’ descriptions of this 
interesting and hitherto unkriown and undescribed larva. The merit of its discovery 
is due tomy excellent and indefatigable friends Mr. Hellins and Mr. Doubleday. The 
former gentleman, together with myself, has for the last two years been vainly endea- 
vouring to find a food-plant for the larva. The eggs which were sent us hatched freely, 
but though we supplied the young larve with every likely flower we could think of, 
not one would they touch, and all perished miserably from starvation. This summer 
Mr. Hellins again succeeded in obtaining fertileeggs. Mr. Doubleday, having observed 
that Hiibner had figured what he called three varieties of the larva of E. linariata upon 
the flowers of Digitalis lutea, suggested to Mr. Hellins that he should try his young 
larve with the flowers of our common English foxglove (Digitalis purpurea, L.). He 
did so, and found tbat they fed freely upon it. He immediately communicated this 
fact to his entomolegical friends, and the result is that the larva has been found in 
some plenty in varivus parts of England. I found about thirty in less than an hour in 
a wood in this neighbourhood. Some relatives of mine have taken it in numbers at 
Warstone, near Leck, Staffordshire. Mr. Greene has taken it freely at Cubley, and 
Mr. George Bates at Breadsall Moor, near Derby, and Mr. Batty has met with it near 
Sheffield. It feeds, as I said before, on the flowers of Digitalis purpurea. It spins 
the lip of the flower together and eats the stamens, and occasionally the unripe seeds 
and seed capsule. ‘Phose flowers which contain a larva appear to remain on the stem 
after the others bave dropped to the ground. It is not at all hard to find. It is rather 
avariable larva. I append descriptions of those varieties which have come under 
my notice. Hiibner would seem to have found this larva and to have confounded it 
with the larva of E. linariata, from which, however, it is very distinct. 
Var. 1.—Ground colour dull yellowish green. Central dorsal line broad, con- 
tinuous, dull dingy purple. Subdorsal line dull dingy purple, narrow, interrupted on 
the anal segments. Spiracular line narrow, broken, dingy purple. Head brownish, 
marked with lines or spots of a deeper shade. Belly whitish green, with a whitish 
central line. Whole body strewed thinly with whitish hairs, and occasionally suffused 
and clouded with dull dingy purple. In shape it resembles the larva of E, linariata,, 
in markings that of E. centaureata. 
Var. 2.—Ground colour dull yellowish or whitish green. Central dorsal line dusky 
green. Subdorsal lines dusky green. Segmental divisions yellowish. Spiracular line 
very narrow and faint, dull green. Belly whitish, without lines or markings, 
Var. 3.—Ground colour pale primrose, slightly suffused with green. Central dorsal 
line dull faint green, nearly evanescent on the posterior segments. Subdorsal lines 
dull faint green, much broken, having more the appearance of detached spots. Spi- 
racular line very faint, pale yellow. Belly whitish. 
Var. 4.—Ground colour bright yellowish green. Central dorsal line pale olive, 
rather broad. Subdorsal lines pale olive, narrow. Spaces between central dorsal and 
subdorsal lines bright yellow. Spiracular line dusky green, faint and broken. Belly 
sea-green, The larva is full-fed from the beginning of July to the beginning of August. 
I am happy to say that my friend Mr. Buckler, of Emsworth has, with his usual skill, 
taken most life-like drawings of all the varieties. Pupa enclosed in a slight earthen 
