530 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



colour, the shell covered with a minute, irregular, polygonal reticula- 

 tion. When near hatching, the colour becomes yellowish, and 

 afterwards the embryo is distinctly visible through the now trans- 

 parent egg-shell, the black bifid hairs being particularly conspicuous, 

 and exhibiting, as it were, a loose reticulation. The micropylar area, 

 placed at one end of the egg, is only noticeable from the much 

 more distinct reticulation over that area. The eggs are laid singly 

 on the underside of scabious leaves. [The eggs received from Mr. 

 Wolfe on July 6th, description made under a two-thirds lens on 

 July 7th.] Nearly round, with a slight depression on the top ; 

 green in colour ; the body of the embryo is seen through the egg- 

 shell to be covered with hairs (Jeffery). 



Habtis of larva. — The larva hides under the leaves of its 

 foodplants and is best obtained during the day by carefully turning 

 over the radical leaves of the plants on which the larvae are feed- 

 ing. According to the season they may be obtained at any time 

 between May and August, late June and July being, however, the 

 usual time. To find the larvae, look for leaves of the blue scabious 

 with holes bitten in them ; many leaves with holes will, of course, 

 not yield larvae, whilst at other times plant after plant will give a 

 bright green larva with red markings on the sides, on the underside 

 of one of its leaves (Wratislaw). We have collected the following 

 dates on which larvae have been observed — July 16th, 1864, at Cam- 

 bridge (Grinstead), end of May, 1865, at Penllergare (Llewelyn), 

 July i7th-2ist, 1866, from Epping, fullfed (Buckler), in August, 

 1886, at Renfrew (Dalglish), 22 larvae, May 27th, 1893, in New Forest, 

 one already fullgrown, two others in the last instar, and others of 

 various sizes (Richardson), June ioth-2ist, 1894, and June 25th, 1896, 

 in the New Forest, but on August 10th, 1895, in Argyllshire (Christy), 

 early June (ist-9th) in 1893, but on July 10th in 189 1, in the New 

 Forest (Robinson), fullfed August 8th-i5th, 1899, around Evolena in 

 the Val d'Herens (Tutt). Bartel says that when the sun is shining, 

 the larva remains concealed in the earth ; but before the 3rd moult, 

 one finds the larva sometimes sitting exposed on the leaves (mostly 

 on the underside), on the stems, or under the flowers of the food- 

 plant, but that these exposed larvae are mostly stung. Thus a 

 great number of young larvae of this species, which Bartel found 

 on the Jungfernheid, near Berlin, sitting exposed on leaves, stems, and 

 under the flowers by day, were without exception infested with small 

 ichneumon larvae, which destroyed the larvae before they had even 

 reached middle growth, whilst he states that, in dull weather or at dusk, 

 one also finds larvae singly resting quite exposed on the foodplant. 

 Yet he notes that, in breeding the larvae in confinement, they 

 must be quite exposed to the sun, and that the food should also 

 come from sunny places ; but even then poor plants are the more 

 acceptable, because succulent plants, or those which are placed in 

 water, inevitably cause diarrhoea. It is especially partial to dry 

 meadows, and, according to Rossler, is sometimes observed in great 

 numbers on hayricks. It is difficult to breed ; yet the young larvae 

 are said to thrive excellently when fed with scabious or snow- 

 berry. Some days before pupating, the larva becomes entirely dirty 

 brown-red. 



