1872. 173 
The pale brown stout pupa is enclosed in a comparatively large 
cocoon, formed of semi-transparent, thin, greyish silk web, spun in any 
convenient hollow under the moss or lichen. 
Lirnosta MusceRDA. Eggs received July 30th, 1870; larve 
hatched August 3rd; received the same treatment and food as that 
given above for WV. senex ; hybernated small, when about one-fifth of 
an inch long; three were seen alive and feeding in February, 1871 ; 
moulted at the end of March; two were then accidentally lost; the 
survivor moulted for the last time on May 6th; full-fed about the end 
of that mouth; spun a cocoon, but had not strength to become a 
pupa. Probably the right food is some sort of lichen growing on the 
sallow bushes in the soaking wet parts of the fens, where the moth 
occurs: Mr. Barrett finds that it affects these bushes far more than 
any other kind of growth in the fens, and he observes that it is on the 
wing from early dusk till darkness sets in, when it disappears until 
midnight, after which hour it has another short flight; and probably 
there is a third flight in the morning dusk. 
The egg was noted as small and shining. The young larva is of a 
dirty-whitish colour, with black head, the tubercles furnished with 
single, stiff, dark hairs. When the larva is about one-fifth of an inch 
long, the tubercles are shining black, and furnished with tufts of short 
hairs, the head shining black, the general colour of the body and hairs 
dull black, dorsal line and segmental folds velvety-black, a pair of dull 
orange spots on the second segment. This appearance continued up 
to the last moult ; after that had taken place, for an hour or two the 
colouring was very striking; the head was shining white, and while 
the tufts on the first segment, and down the centre of the back were 
darkish brown, all the others were bright, light, reddish-brown; but 
this gay dress soon sobered down again. 
The length of the full-grown larva is about three-quarters of an 
inch, the figure rather stout, cylindrical, tapering only at the second 
segment and bead, and again at the thirteenth; the legs well developed ; 
eight tubercles on each segment raised and tufted, the front dorsal pair 
being only moderately large, but the hind pair much enlarged, and 
transversely oval in shape ; on segments three and four the front pair 
are larger than the hinder pair; all these tubercles thickly set with 
very short hairs. The general colouring is rusty-black; the ground 
colour of the body being velvety blackish-brown, marbled with reddish- 
grey, the dorsal stripe and sub-dorsal line deep velvety-black ; on each 
side of the dorsal on the second segment, and again on the front of the 
