egg and wanders about until alighting on a suitable place to com- 

 mence the mine. 



C. fuscedinella will wander about for some hours before starting 

 the mine. The place chosen for entrance into the leaf lies usually 

 at the angle formed by a rib and the lamina of the leaf. Here it 

 appears to be less difficult for the larva to bite through the cuticle of 

 the leaf, probably on account of the substance lying behind the 

 cuticle at this point being less solid than it is in other parts of the 

 leaf. Here the young larva bites out a minute circular hole and 

 commences to eat its way into the parenchyma between the upper 

 and lower cuticle of the leaf. At first the larva mines steadily 

 forwards, being apparently anxious to get its body hidden in the 

 mine. One I had under observation on July 30th, 1903, had mined 

 a sufficient distance into the leaf to completely cover itself in rather 

 over two hours after commencing the mine, ^^'hen well within the 

 leaf the larva does not confine itself to the forward movement, but 

 eats irregularly on all sides, just as a Coleophorid does in its later 

 larval life. The mine from this cause mostly assumes a pear-shaped 

 form. It is well known that the Coleophorid larva while feeding 

 periodically leaves the mine and crawls backwards to the end of its 

 case in order to eject the excrement. The young larva also crawls 

 to the entrance of its m'ne for the same purpose, and having this 

 habit a long, narrow mine would be inconvenient. It therefore con- 

 fines its operations to a space lying not very far from the original 

 entrance to its mine. 



Usually it remains in the first mine till it has cut out its case, but 

 if for any reason the first mine becomes untenable, it will come out 

 and re-enter the leaf at another point, or even go to a fresh leaf, 

 differing again on this point from a true leaf-miner. 



From eight to ten days after hatching the larva will stretch itself 

 out flat to undergo its first ecdysis, thrusting the old head well for- 

 ward. The body then has a peculiar barred or striped appearance. 

 To what this appearance is due I cannot say. I suggest that the 

 old larval skin turns a brownish colour on the dorsal area of each 

 segment, but that the inter-segmental membrane remains colourless. 



The skin being stretched, the colourless portions are brought into 

 view, alternating with the brownish dorsal area ; hence the barred 

 appearance. In about twenty-four hours the larva will have changed 

 its first skin and, after recovery, commences to make its first case. 

 It moves round the edges of the mine, eating out any portions which 

 would come in the way of its case. It then cuts a slit in both the 

 upper and under cuticle of the leaf on one side of the space in which 

 it intends to make the case and fastens these two cuticles together 

 with silk. It then repeats this operation on the other side of the 

 space, taking care, however, to leave a portion at the apex and at 

 the base of the case uncut. When the sides are firmly spun together 

 the small space of uncut cuticle at the apex of the case is severed 

 from the leaf, but the two cuticles are here not sewn together, as 



