﻿308 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



there a bloom on the burnet rose, with a scent almost equal to 

 that of a Marechal Neil. 



After a search of a couple of hours I came across two batches 

 of T. opima eggs, on the top of dead ragwort. Their subsequent 

 history is only too typical of the difficulties met with in rearing 

 the perfect insect. I took eggs from each batch, as I have found 

 in previous years that the moths reared from separate batches 

 were distinctive, — that is, they were either the light-coloured type, 

 or the dark variety figured in Newman's ' British Moths.' To 

 still further put this experience to the test I took my eggs home, 

 and kept them in separate tumblers (marked A and B), with the 

 usual drop of water to prevent the shells getting too hard, gauze 

 covering, elastic band, and square of glass. Although the ova 

 from one batch were white when found, and those from the other 

 brown, both sets of eggs hatched within a couple of days of each 

 other, on the 12th and 14th of May. Six sallow leaves were 

 divided between the glasses, whereupon the larvae, as in manner 

 wont, marvellously and at once hid themselves. 



The caterpillar, when fully grown, is a richly coloured object. 

 The head and anal segment are reddish ; second segment reddish, 

 but darker than the head ; upper surface dark purple, beautifully 

 mottled with yellow; along each side, immediately above the 

 legs, is abroad yellow stripe; above this, and adjoining, is a 

 broad, very dark, purple -black stripe, and immediately above this 

 a narrow yellow line. A line, similar to the last mentioned, runs 

 along the middle of the back or upper surface, from head to anal 

 segment. The under surface is pale green ; the legs and claspers 

 are green, and inclined, at the terminations, to red. 



"When the caterpillar answers to this description, which it will 

 do in July, it has reached its final stage. On July i2th about 

 twenty out of the total of forty Wallasey larvae were fulkFettpind 

 nbout to pupate ; the rest had died off, chiefly in the preceding 

 stage, and in that unaccountable way so familiar to collectors who 

 attempt to rear the insect. Worse still, the survivors were 

 already beginning to show the first symptom of a like destiny, — 

 viz., a refusal to eat, varied by a few spasmodic bites at a leaf on 

 being disturbed. They then began to "lose flesh," became 

 flaccid, and died off one by one. My experience points most 

 strongly to the low temperature and continued dampness of the 

 past summer as the chief reasons for such a total collapse. 



T. opima must have plenty of room in the larva state. There 

 should be no more than six, or eight at the outside, on a surface 

 of a square foot ; there should be a liberal supply of fresh air 

 and sallow ; the soil to pupate in should be of the lightest, with 

 a plentiful admixture — say half the bulk — of sea- or silver-sand : 

 and yet I fear, even with all these advantages, the breeder must 

 be content with a very small percentage of perfect insects. 



