137 



it appearing desirable to make arrangements for their hiber- 

 nation, the larvae were transferred to a small glass cylinder 

 cage, fitted at top and bottom into zinc sockets, the rims of 

 which were finely perforated, thorough ventilation of the cage 

 being thus secured. I should, perhaps, add that it was kept 

 throughout the winter out of doors, but protected from rain, 

 etc. In the cage a framework of lichen-covered twigs was 

 built up, and, both Lotus and knotgrass having failed, the 

 leaves and flowers of a small hawkweed-like plant {Crepis 

 virens, I believe) were loosely sprinkled over it, and the larvae 

 turned into the cage on them. During the winter a few 

 freshly gathered leaves and dried flowers of the Crepis, 

 slightly moistened, were added from time to time, at intervals 

 of from two to four weeks, the moisture in the air being suffi- 

 cient to keep them in soft condition between whiles. During 

 exceptionally mild weather, notably at the end of December 

 and in February, the larvae were seen to be moving about, 

 and were apparently feeding. On May ist the}' were turned 

 out, when very distinct evidences of their having nibbled the 

 Crepis during the winter were visible. They were then put 

 into a larger cage, and supplied with lichen-covered sticks 

 and lettuce leaves, which latter they appeared to prefer when 

 somewhat withered. The sticks, having been cut the pre- 

 vious autumn, and therefore having dried, were soaked in 

 water before being given to the larvae, which appeared to 

 make the lichen on them quite eatable; occasionally a flower 

 of dandelion was also given them, and appeared to be nibbled, 

 but their chief attention was paid to the lichen and the 

 lettuce. Towards the end of May they began to grow more 

 rapidly than they had previously grown ; but it was not until 

 mid-July that they began to pupate, making their loose 

 cocoons either among the rubbish on the surface of the earth, 

 or in the corners of the cage; and the moths emerged be- 

 tween August 8th and 31st. 



'' If we are to believe our te.xt-books, there is an assumption 

 that this species, having once taken to any one food-plant, 

 will refuse to feed upon any other {vide Barrett, " Lepidop. 

 of Brit. Isles," vol. ii, p. 220), but my own experience in 

 feeding these larvae up from the egg leads me to think that, 

 on the contrary, had they been restricted to any one of the 

 food-plants that they fed upon, to the exclusion of all the 

 others, the chances of success with them would have been 

 very small, and that for the well-being of this, like so many 

 other hibernating species, a variety of diet is essential." 



Mr. L. W. Newman exhibited a varied series o( As^riades 



