1808.] 205 



DESCRIPTION OF THE LARYA OF ARISTOTELIA LUCIDELLA, Stph. 

 BY THE RIGHT HON. LORD WALSINGHAM, M.A., LL t»., P.R.S., &c. 



Long and slender, when young {long., 4 mm.) yery pale bone-ochreous, with a 

 small round black head ; prothoracic and anal plates concolorous with the body. 



The more mature larva {long., 8 mm.) assumes a more greenish-grey tinge, 

 being a little darker than in the earlier stage. Head black ; prothoracic plate not 

 visibly divided, convex posteriorly, of a brownish olive-grey colour, anal plate 

 slightly darker; the usual spots indicated by minute blackish dots ; the sides and 

 under-side of the larva perceptibly paler than the dorsum, which retains a slight 

 ochi'eous tinge ; thoracic legs banded with greyish, abdominal and anal legs con- 

 colorous with the under-side of the body. The larva has a tendency to become 

 paler when full grown. 



Mining in the centre o£ the stems o£ Scirpus lacustris, commencing 

 near the top and descending before maturity usually below the level 

 of the water ; it does not, however, enter the root, and eventually 

 pupates head upwards a little above the level of the surface of the 

 water. 



The stems affected are not difficult to observe through the yel- 

 lowish discolouration which takes place, and through their failure to 

 reach the same height as the surrounding growth, but one must be 

 prepared to wade in order to obtain a supply. 



The species is very abundant where it occurs, and the larvae are 

 to be met with in various stages of growth from the middle of May 

 until the time of the appearance of the perfect insect, and even after. 

 A few specimens are on the wing at the end of June and the begin- 

 ning of July. 



Merton Hall, Thetford : 

 June, 1898. 



PHOTOaRAPHIC ENLARQ-EIMENTS (PLATE Y). 

 BY G. C. BIGNELL, T.E.S. 



I was very pleased to read Mr. Strickland's paper on photo- 

 graphing insects, being an old hand at that amusement. I say 

 amusement for two reasons, the first is that a professional will not 

 undertake the work, and the second that it must be for recreation to 

 the naturalist to try to overcome the great difficulty there always will 

 be in enlarqinq direct Jrom tlie subject ; the reason for this being that 

 all lenses have a focal point, and will not allow for depth, or in other 

 words, one part of the subject will be in focus and the remainder out 

 of focus ; the figure of the beetle is a beautiful photographic 

 production, but utterly useless to any person wishing or trying to 



