134 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



furze-bushes; Nicholson states that larvae he had, went down into 

 the earth for the winter and reappeared in April when they spun 

 their cocoons. Hewett notes that the larvae hybernate among heather, 

 come up in March, sit about on the heather, and spin up without 

 further feeding, whilst Robinson affirms that larvae he had constantly 

 came out at night even in mid-winter to nibble the leaves and 

 continued to do so till they spun up ; Doubleday observes, however, 

 that the larvae do not feed in spring, but, after reviving from their 

 hybernation, stretch themselves out in the sun for a few days and 

 then spin their cocoons. Haggart says that the larvae are to be seen 

 on the first fine days of spring, wandering about on the moorlands 

 about Galashiels seeking for a suitable place for pupation. Cooke 

 found larvae on the move on Wallasey sandhills on February 12th, 

 1882, and Watkins observes that larvae found in October, 1867, 

 began to crawl about after hybernation on February 23rd, 

 1868, Partridge, however, observed larvae on December 1st, 

 1889, and again on December 15th, crawling on heather among 

 unmelted snow at 1100 feet elevation at Farchynys, in Merioneth. 

 Corbin states that the larvae hybernate on the surface of earth 

 under moss, and ' may be sometimes found in winter in nature, 

 under dead leaves on hedge-banks, always in a slightly contracted 

 ring, quite fullgrown, the larvae not going into hybernation till late, and 

 then not feeding again in spring, although they enjoy the sun's rays 

 after their winter's sleep. Fowler observes that the larvae hybernate 

 in the New Forest when fullfed, and may be found slowly crawling 

 about during warm days in March. Perkins notes (Eut., xvi., p. 250) 

 that, at Wotton-under-Edge, this species and Adscita statices often 

 appear in greater numbers than ever after the herbage of their 

 habitats has suffered from fire. The abundance of the larvae 

 is sometimes almost incredible. Long stretches of the downs 

 directly behind Folkestone are sometimes covered so that it. is 

 impossible to walk without crushing them, and we have seen the 

 Deal sandhills almost as thickly covered. Chapman records that 

 in a glen off Loch Killary, co. Mayo, on September 1 8th, 1888, 

 he saw an enormous number of the larvae of this species, often five or 

 six in a square foot of space ; a dozen could be picked up anywhere 

 without moving, and from any given standpoint from one to two 

 hundred could be seen. They were as numerous as this for several 

 miles, for a width of probably half a mile. On this side (the 

 south) they were protected from the north and west ; on the 

 opposite side, where they could have more sun and be equally 

 protected from the west, they were about the average of the rest 

 of the district observed, viz., about one every eight or ten yards. 

 In some other glens there were exceptionally a dozen or so in 

 sight at once. Very few were quite fullfed, most in the last 

 skin but one, and many younger. At one to a square foot there 

 would be about 50,000,000 on the area observed. Theobald notes 

 that, in the autumn of 1895, the North Downs in the neighbourhood 

 of Wye were literally covered with hordes of the larvae, mostly 

 full-grown, some being quite active until the end of November, and 

 crawling about until then among the grass. The noise made by them 

 when feeding at night, he adds, was quite astonishing. None were 

 observed on the downs until they were nearly full-grown. Carter 



