2 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



A Life history of Phyllotoma mellita, Newman. — Early 

 in the month of May the imagos of this species of sawfly 

 may be beaten out of birch-bushes, or, should the weather 

 be at all windy, may be easily captured whilst sitting on the 

 birch-leaves. At this period of the year we notice that many 

 of the leaves are in a blotched condition, and that the " frass" 

 contained within the blotched part of the leaf has the appear- 

 ance of a small quantity of black thread: these blotches are 

 produced by the larvae of micro-lepidopterous insects of the 

 genus Micropteryx. Early in the following month two other 

 kinds of blotches are noticeable in the birch-leaves : these 

 latter are the work of two species of sawfly larvae. The names of 

 the insects that these two different blotch-making caterpillars 

 produce are, first, Phyllotoma mellita, and, secondly, Phyl- 

 lotoma fuliginosa } an account of whose life-history appeared 

 in No. 63 of the 'Entomologist' (Entom. iv. 225). From its 

 larger size and different decorative markings no difficulty 

 will be experienced in separating the larva of P. mellita from 

 that of P. fuliginosa ? 



P. mellita, which is the third species of tenthredinidous 

 larva that has been found to inhabit the interior of birch- 

 leaves, lays its egg on the upper surface of the leaf. The 

 young larva begins operations by excavating a minute 

 greenish-coloured blotch : this is a shade lighter in colour 

 than the general tone of the leaf, and is always situated either 

 at the lip, side or base of the leaf, never in the central parts : 

 this birth-place of the larva is left crowded with " frass," 

 which in the mines of some individuals is observed to be 

 wholly black, whilst in others it consists of a mixture of 

 black and brown. The larva has a reddish-brown coloured 

 mouth ; its head is pale brown, with a darker tint on the 

 cheeks ; the back of the 2nd segment is white, and has a 

 broad somewhat horseshoe-shaped plate of a pitchy brown 

 colour ; the top of the dorsal surface of the 3rd segment is 

 crossed by a thin interrupted black plate ; the body is white, 

 but has a greenish tint imparted to it by the fluid contained 

 within the dorsal vessel. The larva has twenty-two organs 

 of progression, namely, six thoracic, fourteen ventral, and 

 two anal ; its olh and 13th segments are not furnished with 

 legs; its thoracic legs are white, with black rings ; the claws 

 are black ; the inferior surface of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th 



