246 [October, 



on its substance. In doing this it bites through the stalks of some of 

 the central leaves and flowers, but these dead parts are soon covered 

 by the growth of the outer leaves, and the presence of the larva is 

 only betrayed by a small heap of light brown frass (which soon darkens 

 in colour) near the middle of the plant, the middle being occupied by 

 a dense mass of hoary fibres, which, with the aid of a little silk to 

 hold all together, conceal and protect the entrance to the burrow. 

 The larva generally, if not always, pupates in its burrow, and turns 

 to a yellowish pupa, which soon becomes brown in colour. The moth 

 varies considerably in size, probably according to the growth of the 

 food-plant, which is greatly affected by a dry or wet situation. It 

 (P. coronopus) will grow in a very dry and hot spot, but in this case 

 is so very small that there is but little food for the larva, but in damp 

 situations it attains a large size. There are two regular broods of this 

 species ; the larvae of the first feeding in May and the moths emerging 

 in the latter half of June, the second brood feeding in July and 

 August and emerging in September. 



It will be seen that this larva differs from sucedella in its brown 

 head and anal plate of the ground-colour, both of which in sucedella 

 are black ; in the ground-colour ; in the markings, which are much 

 fainter and often absent ; in the size and colour of the warts, which 

 are small and black, whereas they are distinct and reddish-chocolate 

 in sucedella ; it also spins up in its burrow, which sucedella does not. 



Larva of L. ocellatella -. — 



Length, about 3"'. Body of uniform width, tapering in the first two and last 

 two segments to about half. Head somewhat flattened. The usual warts are hardly 

 raised above the surface, and the body is slightly indented between the segments. 

 Legs short. 



Head pale brown, with the jaws and margins a little darker ; pvothoracic and 

 anal plates very pale brown, the former with pale dorsal line and some large and 

 small black spots on its margins, the latter margined with dai-k brown, and with a 

 few small black spots in front. The general appearance is of a pale, rather trans- 

 parent, yellowish-green larva, with a bright crimson ring on each segment. Each 

 ring is made up of a series of irregularly shaped crimson blotches, forming portions 

 of the broad interrupted dorsal, subdorsal and spiracular lines, and a narrow lower 

 line, which is not always visible. Warts inconspicuous, blackish, in a patch of the 

 ground-colour, with almost colourless bristles. Spiracles very inconspicuous, with 

 brown edges ; legs greyish ; testes sometimes but not always distinctly marked by 

 a grey spot on the 9th segment. Under the microscope the red patches are seen to 

 consist of a number of small red-edged figures of irregularly circular outline, and 

 close together. The red colour is often very bright, but varies in intensity, especially 

 in the fi'ont segments. 



