gniomologists 
he 
JOURNAL oF VARIATION. 
Worm ull per NOw 5). May 15rn, 1900. 
Phorodesma smaragdaria, Fabricius. 
By Rey. C. BR. N. BURROWS. 
For a great many years in my early entomological life, I kept the 
label belonging to Phorodesma smaragdaria amongst those of the 
‘‘unobtainables,” kept because it seemed silly to throw such things 
away, but put aside in case they might turn up useful some day. It 
was not, however, until I got into the marsh country, and found 
myself residing at Rainham, that I began to have hopes of success. 
Thomas EHedle had told me the food-plant years before, and one of my 
first excursions to my river-frontage was in quest of Artemisia maritima, 
but there was not a root to be found, and I found myself disappointed. 
Of course everybody knows that the larva is exceptionally difficult to 
find, and that the imago is but rarely taken except by those who know 
the exact locality, the time of year, and the habits of the insect. The 
beginner wants an introduction. My own experience teaches me that 
without a friend with knowledge, the collector may entirely fail to see 
even a trace of the larva, where it is actually in fairly large numbers. 
I have spent hours on the river-wall searching the Artemisia most 
carefully, without success, and then, just when I had to leave, got 
“my eye in’? and made a bag. In 1898 I made the acquaintance so 
long desired. Mr. Whittle, of Southend, gave me the introduction. 
He took me to Canvey Island, and showed me, in the exact place I had 
so often searched, the larva feeding. Since that time I have had no 
more difficulty, and haye generally managed to find enough for myself, 
and for friends. The life-history of the species given by Mr. Elisha 
in his paper, read before the Entomological Society of London, October 
6th, 1886, and published in the 7’ransactions, pp. 465-8, for that year, 
is so complete, and so entirely bears out my observations, except in 
one or two points, that 1 refrain from entering into this subject, simply 
recommending any one who wishes to know more about it, to read that 
‘most interesting paper. 
With us the larva appears to be found only upon Artemisia maritima, 
and on the saltings of the Essex coast. In the original description by 
G. Koch [Stettiner entomologische Zeitung, xil., p. 265 (1851)] it is said 
to have been discovered by Herr Verwalter Muhlig, feeding upon 
Achillea millefolium, in the town woods of Frankfort-on-the-Main, and 
in confinement, to have eaten Poteriwm sanguisorba. Such complete 
divergence in habitat and food-plant seems to be very extraordinary, 
and so far as I have been able to learn, has never been explained. I 
