NEPTlCULA WEAVEEt. 34? 



darker ; head pale brown, with two pale brown lobes showing through 

 the skin of the second segment (Stainton). Threlfall notes the larva 

 as "green." 



Cocoon. — The cocoon is spun inside a bladdery cavity between the 

 upper and under epidermis of a leaf. These cavities measure about 

 11 mm. by 9 mm. The cavity is lined with fine, flossy, whitish silk, 

 and the cocoon proper is loosely suspended in the centre by silken 

 fibres. The cocoon itself forms a long oval, about 4 mm. long, and 

 2 mm. wide, the two ends also being almost equal. It varies in colour 

 from a bright orange to a pale sulphur-yellow, the latter form 

 reminding one much of the cocoon of ClUiocampa neustria, both in 

 texture and tint. The surface has a very fine flossy exterior, made, 

 however, of such short silken fibres that it looks comparatively smooth, 

 except for the suspending silken web. [Described September 10th, 

 1898, under a two-thirds lens, from cocoons sent by Mr. W. H. B. 

 Fletcher, obtained at Rannoch.] Stainton notes the cocoon as " long 

 and pale ochreous ; " Nolcken observes that the suspensory web is 

 double, and the cocoon placed between. He also adds that " this silk 

 lining, and not the eating out of the leaf-substance, is evidently the 

 cause of the swelling of the blotch." Heinemann notes that the imago 

 makes its escape " through a slight silken tube, which leads from the 

 cocoon to the skin of the leaf." 



Food-plant. — Vaccinium vitis-idaea. Gregson observes that the 

 leaf containing a full-fed larva often falls to the ground. 



Time of appeaeance. — Possibly double-brooded, since Threlfall 

 has obtained imagines in April from larva? collected in August, and 

 others July 15th-20th, 1879, from larvae collected May 3rd of the 

 same year, at Stalybridge. Sand also notes October larvae on Mont 

 Dore, but states that the imagines did not appear till the following 

 June. Heinemann notes that in the Upper Hartz larva? and pupae 

 may be found until the middle of June, whilst in the lower country 

 they occur in May. Edleston obtained larvae in May, 1857, that 

 produced imagines June 21st-August 24th, 1857. Batty sent us 

 larvae in May, 1888, from nr. Sheffield, that produced imagines 

 June 24th-30th. In the Stainton collection are imagines captured 

 July 18th and 27th, 1864, at Huddersfield. Weaver found larvse in 

 May, 1854, at Rannoch. Gregson records larvae on April 16th, 1856, 

 at the Brushes, nr. Manchester, and at Chorley on April 21st, 1856. 

 Zeller found larvae at Meseritz on April 7th, 1861 ; and Bower notes 

 them on May 16th, 1889, June 26th, 1891, June 8th, 1892, at 

 Sheffield, and May 18th, 1891. Nolcken records larvae about the 

 middle of May, at Pichtendahl. 



Localities. — Aberdeen : Braemar, rare (Keid). Cheshire : Bowdon (Edles- 

 ton). Hereford : Black Mountains (Wood). Lancashire : the Brushes, nr. 

 Manchester, Chorley (Gregson), Dutton (Hodgkinson), Stalybridge (Chappell). 

 Pembroke: (Meyrick). Perthshire: Bannoch (Weaver). Yorkshire: Sheffield 

 (Batty), Scarborough, common (Wilkinson), Huddersfield (Stainton). 



Distribution. — France : Gravenoire, Mont Dore (Sand). Germany : 

 Upper Harz, Brunswick, Hanover (Heinemann), Glogau, Meseritz 

 (Zeller), Breslau, Dresden (Stainton) ; distributed in N. Germany, 

 Stettin, etc. (Sorhagen). Netherlands : Gelderland (Snellen). 

 Russia : Pichtendahl (Nolcken), Finland (Wocke), Russian Carelia 

 (Reuter). Scandinavia : Scania and Smaland (Wallengren). 



