macroThylacia rubi. 133 



Habits of larva. — The newly-hatched larva eats a quantity of 

 its egg-shell; it assumes a modified <5/>/z//^-attitude when at rest, the 

 thoracic segments raised, the ist and 2nd abdominals also raised 

 and slightly curved, the legs drawn up and head turned downwards ; 

 it has also the power of retracting the prolegs, the hooks being 

 then within the latter, and there is no doubt that the ability to do this 

 is exceedingly advantageous when the larva rolls up, as it does to 

 escape observation when disturbed. The larva feeds on steadily 

 until about the middle of October when it is fullfed, then goes down 

 among the roots of its foodplants (possibly sometimes under the 

 soil), hybernates until the end of February, comes up, and suns 

 itself without feeding and then pupates in April. The larva appears 

 to roll itself in a ring for hybernation, and may be wintered well 

 among heather closely planted in a wooden tub and with a covering 

 (muslin, &c.) for the protection of the plant. In Switzerland, 

 it hybernates as an adult larva under moss, dried leaves, 

 stones, &c. (Favre). Robson notes that, around Hartlepool, 

 on every fine sunny day from June to April, the larvae may 

 be seen crawling about or stretched at length on withered tufts 

 of grass, basking in the rays of the morning sun, retiring soon 

 after midday without going far down ; the larvae become more abund- 

 ant as the season advances, and the sexes may easily be distinguished 

 in this stage by the great difference in size ; when they are 

 fullfed in autumn they retire below the surface of the ground ; 

 after the new year they appear to be very susceptible to 

 warmth, and were once noticed as early as January 10th, although 

 March is the normal month for their reappearance ; on February 

 10th, 1897, fifty were picked up and they were equally abundant 

 for several days. The larvae are best found in early morning, 

 when there is a heavy dew, at Church Stretton, where they are most 

 abundant (Bradburne). The larva rolls up and quickly drops away 

 when disturbed (Dalglish) • the larvae when fullfed in October occur 

 in colonies on the Dorset heaths, each colony, however, consisting 

 of many individuals ; they delight in the sunshine, but roll themselves 

 into a tight ring when disturbed (Bankes) ; on the moors about 

 Corsemalzie the larvae are very abundant, sometimes many (40 or 50) 

 are to be found in quite a small area, then a large tract with none, 

 when other colonies will be met, generally near a species of 

 white -leaved grass, but they also feed on sallow, &c, here they 

 are always rarer in the spring than in the autumn (Gordon) ; the 

 larvae appear to feed on grass at Clevedon until about three-parts 

 grown, then they collect in small colonies on the nearest bramble, 

 continuing to feed on this and grass until they enter their winter- 

 quarters (Mason) ; the larvae appear largely to modify their habits 

 according to locality, for, in September, 1897, they were abund- 

 ant at the tops of the tall Devonshire hedges near Dartmouth, 

 where they were repeatedly observed to select hazel as a foodplant 

 (Prideaux) ; Noel observed that three larvae found at East Budleigh, 

 fed till October 19th, 187 1, then disappeared and were found curled 

 in a ring about half an inch under the soil. Leach says that when 

 the larvae hybernate they sometimes enter loose mould. Reading 

 observes that the larvae may be found on the heaths, downs, and 

 commons near Plymouth, hybernating under the earth beneath 



