﻿1869.) 37 



of them : perhaps the best simile would be to say that they are not unlike the 

 new-fashioned spectacle-cases, which are rather limp and open at both ends. 



Certainly, if I had found one of these cases at large, I should have taken it for 

 the case of an Adela or Nemotois larva. On writing to Mr. De Grey, to inform him 

 of the singular product from his Hypericum larvae, he reminded me of his own 

 previous experience with the insect, intimating that the surprise I had then 

 expressed — savouring, perhaps, a little of incredulity — had induced him to search 

 for the larvae this year in the same locality, and to hand them over to me. 



I had entirely forgotten the circumstance till he thus recalled it to my memory, 

 but on referring to his letter of October 2nd, 1867, I found the passage I have 

 already quoted. 



I hope my incredulity may always lead to such satisfactory results. — Id. 



Notes on the earlier stages of Thecla rubi. — On June 25th, 1868, having business 

 with a farmer at Haslemere, and not finding him at the house, I followed him to a 

 secluded corner of his farm, to a piece of rough pasture sloping down to a little 

 stream. While talking with him, I swept the net across some plants of Genista 

 tinctoria which grew there in abundance, and to my great surprise found in it a 

 green onisciform larva, which I at once concluded to be that of Thecla rubi. By 

 diligent sweeping on that and subsequent days, my brother and I obtained some 

 dozens of these larvae, some nearly full grown, others quite small. In order to keep 

 their food fresh as long as possible, I passed the ends of the stems of a bunch of 

 Genista through the hole in the bottom of a large flower pot, and stood it over a 

 vessel of water, covering the top with gauze, and here the larvae fed up rapidly in 

 the blossoms. After some days, the bunch of food being nearly stripped, I took it 

 out to supply fresh, and then found that those larvae which were full fed had nearly 

 all forced their way into the thickest part of the bunch of stems and there lay 

 without web or attachment of any kind ; others had hidden at the bottom of the 

 pot and were also perfectly loose. The next bunch of stems was used in the same 

 way by the younger larvae as they fed up, simply forcing themselves into the 

 closest part. 



They seemed very hardy, one or two when shrivelled and almost ready to 

 become pupae were accidently dropped on the floor in removing their food, a mode 

 of treatment that would be certain death to most larvaa, but they cast their skins 

 as though nothing had happened, and became as perfect pupae as the rest, and in 

 that state appeared to be equally tough. 



By July 10th, three dozen had assumed the pupa state, and I confidently 

 expected an August brood, but to my great disappointment, not one appeared till 

 this spring. Being kept indoors, however, they have been emerging almost daily 

 since April 20th. 



They emerge about 9 o'clock a.m., and when just out, before the wings spread, 

 show no trace of the lovely green colour of the under-side, that part being golden 

 brown like the upper-side ; as the wings spread, the green appears. Probably thi 

 arises from the green scales being all edged with brown, and in the unexpanded 

 state the edges alone being visible. This will account for the golden brown shade 

 visible over the green in some positions. 



