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with what now proves its proper food, namely, Bartsia odontites ; but, owing to the 

 rapidity with which this plant, when plucked and put in water, decays and becomes 

 mildewed, I had always failed to rear them. In lS^ii, Mr. Buckler received from 

 Dr. Holland, and figured, a larva now proved to belong to this species ; but, as it 

 soon died, the figure remained un-named, and nothing could be said about it. 



In the second week of last September, Mr. Bryant sent Mr. Buckler eggs 

 deposited by captured specimens of unifasciata ; and, on being instructed by him 

 what to look for, found that Bartsia odontites was growing plentifully in the 

 locality in which the moths were taken ; when, therefore, the eggs came on to 

 me, I determined not to confuse the larva? with a number of food-plants to pick 

 and choose from, but put them at once on a potted plant of Bartsia. This was 

 about September 14th, and, unfortunately, I was not ablo to devote much attention 

 to them till the beginning of the present month, when (October 4th) to my dis- 

 may, I found the plant dead and decaying. However, a careful search enabled me 

 to detect a solitary survivor crawling about on the damp rotten seed-pods, so I 

 felt sure now that there was no longer a doubt about the food-plant ; and finding 

 that the field, which had supplied me with it here, had just been ploughed up, I 

 got a supply at once from Mr. Buckler. The seed-pods on the sprigs he sent me 

 were beginning to ripen, so partially opening one of them, I placed my little larva 

 on it, and soon saw it hide itself within. I now left it undisturbed for a week, 

 taking it for granted that it was going from pod to pod, and feeding up well ; at 

 last I thought I would look for it, and, after opening several pods as carefully as 

 possible, found it stowed away in one of them ; but, instead of being increased in 

 bulk, looking shrivelled, and much thinner than when last seen. This was dis- 

 appointing; but, taking comfort at the thought that more tender diet might suit it 

 better, I asked Mr. Buckler to get some of the greenest pods he could find, and 

 soon discovered that they were just what was wanted. On October 16th, I found 

 my larva in the act of moulting within a seed-pod, and, after this, its last moult, a 

 great change took place in its appearance and manner of life. 



About this time, too, Mr. Bryant, having, at Mr. Buckler's instigation, searched 

 carefully the Bartsia, plants in his locality, found several larva? feeding at large ; 

 and, as those which he kindly sent to Mr. Buckler exactly corresponded with the one 

 I had reared, there was no difficulty in identifying their species ; and from these 

 together, with my own solitary specimen, the following account and descriptions 

 have been drawn up. 



The egg is laid in August, and larva soon hatched. Perhaps it feeds first inside 

 the flowers of the Bartsia, but, at all events, we know that, whilst young, it lives 

 within the un-ripe seed-pods, which it enters by a hole in the side, remaining 

 hidden until all the seeds are consumed, the frass at the entrance hole alone show- 

 ing its whereabouts. After its last moult, it no longer hides itself, and seems to 

 have no difficulty with the ripening capsules and seeds, still making a hole as 

 before, in the side, and inserting its head and front segments as far as it finds it 

 necessary to get at the seeds, all the while holding on with its prolegs to the stem 

 outside. It seems to become full-fed towards the end of October, and goes just 

 under the surface of the ground for pupation. 



The simultaneous change of habit and ornamentation at the last moult is very 

 interesting, but I will leave wiser heads than mine to determine which is the 

 cause of the other. 



