1871-] PALL 
The stout, stiff figure of this larva, its short legs, and its sluggish habits, are 
all very congruous, but, as in former cases, I leave others to decide whether figure 
forms habits, or habits form figure. 
The larva spins under the surface of the soil, but, owing to the death of most 
of my stock just when they had disappeared for this purpose, I am not able to say 
anything of the pupa or cocoon. 
The “* concave” outline of the costa of the fore-wings (v. Stainton’s Manual, 
vol ii, p. 80), is very noticeable in the freshly-bred moths, as they rest with ex- 
panded wings; in the male the concavity is greater almost than that shown by 
Hypena proboscidalis, though, of course, the tip of the wing is rounded, and not at 
all faleate.—Ib., May 11th, 1871. 
Description of the larva of Eremobia ochroleuca.—On the 22nd June, 1870, 
in striking at a specimen of Lycena Alsus in an old chalk-pit, I took in my net by 
chance a very delicate looking, active, noctua larva, which was quite a stranger to 
me: believing I had obtained it from Anthyllis vulneraria, I put some of this plant 
with the larva into a box; but, on looking at it late in the evening, I saw it had 
not eaten any of the vetch, and seemed eager to escape. 
As I could remember nothing but grass besides the Antiyllis growing in the 
spot where it was taken, I went out in the twilight, and gathered a little of the 
first species of grass that came to hand, without noticing what it was. 
Next morning I was very pleased to see that the larva had partaken freely of 
the grass ; and having by me at this time, potted, a growing tuft of Nardus stricta 
—a species I had noted on the dry, grassy slopes where I had been the day before, 
I too hastily assumed this to be the proper food of my captive, and placed it 
thereon, securing it with a glass cylinder. As my attention at this time was fully 
taken up by many other larva, | forgot tolook at my unknown for some days; and 
when I saw it again it was not the least grown, nor did it look well. This made 
me resort to other grasses, but without effect ; and I had the mortification of seeing 
it, day by day, become smaller and feebler, till on the 2nd. July it died. But, 
before the breath was quite out of its shrunken body, my regrets were banished 
(thanks to Mr. W. H. Harwood, of Colchester), who sent me on July Ist a larva pre- 
cisely similar in form and colour, but much larger in size; and, what was still 
better, feeding away hopefully on its proper food—the seeds in a panicle of cock’s- 
foot grass—Dactylis glomeratus. 
In order to make quite sure of this being its proper food, having gathered fresh 
panicles of this grass, as well as of two or three other kinds, and put them in with 
the larva; but I saw that it roamed over the other kinds till it found the seeds of 
the cock’s-foot grass, and then attacked them ravenously, thus perfectly satisfying 
every doubt. On the 3rd of July it retired to earth; and on the 30th the perfect 
insect came forth. 
This full-grown larva varied in no respect from that which I had myself taken, 
save in size, for it was twice as large. It was one inch-and-a-halfin length, cylindri- 
cal, of moderate and uniform stoutness throughout, including the head, the lobes 
of which were rounded and full; the legs and prolegs all well developed. 
Its ground colour a bright but very pale opaque whitish-green ; the very 
broad dorsal stripe whitish, the sub-dorsal stripe similar, but a trifle less in breadth ; 
between this and the spiracles the ground colour became a little deeper; was bor- 
