150 BRITISH LEBIDOPTERA. 



made him suppose the larva to be carnivorous, a habit which he proved 

 by giving one a weevil which was devoured by the next morning 

 and its remains attached to the larval case. Healy notes the larva 

 as readily repairing a case that had been damaged. Bossier notes the 

 case as extremely like that of Tinea parietariella, covered with pieces of 

 insects. With regard to the loose outer covering of the case of D. 

 herminata, Wood suggests that its value is evidently protective, due to 

 its likeness to those small collections of insect remains entangled in 

 the remnants of a spider's web, that one occasionally finds hanging in 

 just those places where I). herminata cases might be expected (in litt.). 



Larva. — Larva albida pubescens, maculis corneis melleis sparsa, 

 capite melleo, prothoracis cornei margine antico albido, mesothoracis 

 brunnei margine albido latiore, metathorace pallidius fusco-maculato. 

 The head honey-yellow, the prothorax paler yellow, with whitish 

 margins, the mesothorax browner with a fine whitish median longi- 

 tudinal line and broader whitish margins ; the metathorax has broad 

 whitish margins, is corneous and brown centrally with a whitish cross, 

 the cross arms being concave anteriorly. The true legs light 

 brownish-yellow. The first three abdominal segments (which the larva 

 sometimes puts out of the case) are similar to the metathorax, only the 

 corneous plates are more separate, they are also bright and shiny. The 

 yellowish-white pubescence is more marked on the head and thoracic 

 segments (Zeller, Isis, 1846, p. 273). Dull whitish ; head pale brown ; 

 2nd segment darker brown behind, divided in the middle by a whitish 

 line ; 3rd and 4th segments with a faint brownish tinge on each side, 

 in which are two brown spots ; legs pale brown. Larvae from Scott, 

 October 7th, 1855, Stockton [Stainton, vide, Ent. Ann., 1856, p. 49 

 (Durrant)] . The larva is dirty yellowish-white, with a somewhat 

 fleshy tint ; head shining brownish-yellow with somewhat darker 

 spots ; the ocelli and mouth-parts dark brown, while the antennas are 

 much lighter. The thoracic segments are provided dorsally with 

 shining brownish-yellow shields, that on the prothorax broad and 

 unmarked, those on the meso- and metathorax narrower and with a 

 triangular mark in the middle, on the anal segment is a similarly- 

 coloured shiny anal plate, the other segments are soft, the usual 

 tubercles brownish, as also the stigmata. The legs are brownish- 

 yellow, somewhat darker at the articulations and strongly built ; the 

 prolegs are small and coloured like the body (Heylaerts) . 



Habits of Larva. — The larva is generally found on the trunks of 

 old trees, on the lichens growing on which it is reputed to feed. It 

 lives for at least two years, and probably often for three. Heylaerts 

 says that as soon as the larvas hatch they immediately make cases, 

 which are enlarged at each subsequent moult ; the life-cycle extends 

 over two years, and the larvae feed entirely on "dust moss." They 

 refused to touch dead insects, and starved in preference. Snellen and 

 Haar, however, in a discussion that followed, confirmed the car- 

 nivorous tendencies of the species. Edleston is inclined to think \\i<<t 

 they resort to the trees for rest and forage on the ground foi p ej \ i 

 his observations that they will eat the lichen on such trees, and ha,1 

 they feed on hawthorn voraciously, suggest that the carnivorous habit 

 is an incidental and not a normal one. They spin down tlu ir < ■ e 

 for hybernation in November, setting then, fret n April am I i\ u 

 next year, and commencing to feed again. Those ili^t tmtrge moune 



