1887.J 89 



had come to an untimely end in an unexpected way. Having eaten out the contents 

 of one seed, the inmate had bored a lateral hole of egress, and another into the ad- 

 joining seed vessel. With its head in the fresh seed, and its tail not yet out of the 

 empty one, the walls of the seeds would seem to have suddenly contracted, perhaps 

 under the influence of the sun's heat, and pinned the unfortunate emigi-ant in such 

 a way tliat he could neither advance or recede. The larvse may be found througli 

 August and September, and even into Octobei*. The perfect insect emerges in July. 

 — W. Waeeen, Merton Cottage, Cambridge : August 12th, 1887. 



Desc7'iption of the larva of Stigmoiota pallifrontana, Z. — Having found the 

 imago of this species not uncommon, flitting about a few bushes of the Astragalus 

 glycyphyllos in July, I was able in August to detect and collect the larvae in plenty. 

 These, when young, are pale whitish-green, with black-brown head and thoracic 

 plate. At this period they appear to feed between the two valves of the pod, 

 or on the soft inside of a pod ; attacking the seeds themselves only as they advance 

 in size. After clearing out the seeds of one pod they move on to another. Their 

 presence within is betrayed by a slight discoloration near the base. This is easily 

 discernible when the pods are green : but when, as often happens if exposed to the 

 sun, they become purplish, the action of the larvee inside is not so manifest. In 

 many cases also, where the larva has attacked only the seeds without touching the 

 inner tissue of the pod, no trace whatever exists externally, whereby its presence 

 may be conjectured. Inasmuch as the vetch goes on flowering upwards through the 

 latter part of June and the whole of July, the earliest pods are formed lowest down 

 the stem, and in these larvae produced from the eggs laid by the early $ s may be 

 found, while there are still flowers at the top of the branch, and later imagines 

 depositing their eggs thereon. When full-fed, the larvse are dull yellowish-gTcen, 

 with pale brown head, dirty brown thoracic plate, with its edges darker margined, 

 and dull brown, small plate on the anal segment, spots small, brown, but distinct. 

 At the very last a remarkable change occurs : the whole body turns a most brilliant 

 red, clearly visible through the husk of the pod. The larvse then eat their way out, 

 to spin up in a convenient receptacle. I find that in confinement they take very 

 kindly to virgin cork, into the interstices of which they at once retire and spin their 

 cocoons. 



The perfect insects fly in the afternoon from 2 to 6 o'clock ; the males, which 

 are extremely difiicult to detect on the wing, buzzing vigorously in the air in the 

 vicinity of the food-plant, while the females hover gently round the whorls of flowers, 

 or rest on leaves near them. Although the insect has been hitherto a rarity in tliis 

 country, I think I can safely predict, judging from my experience of it this season, 

 that it will shortly be found abundant wherever its food plant occurs. — Id. 



Food-plant of Eupaecilia pallidana, Z. — Having, in June, 1886, found a nice 

 locality for this species on a dry sloping bank facing the sea, I revisited the place on 

 the last day of July following, intent on finding the larva. I had no very definite 

 idea what plants I ought to examine as the moths seemed to discard all flowers, but 

 were vei-y fond of settling on the fronds of the bracken. Having arrived at the stile 

 overlooking the bank, 1 was debating with myself what plant to begin on when my 

 eye fell on a fine bunch of Jasiune montana which was just going out of bloom ; 



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