68 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



and fro of the head and tail." Harris also, in 1749, refers to the 

 habit, and states that when a larva falls into the water it immediately 

 rises to the top of the water, where it remains till its struggles 

 or the currents drive it to some plant, by means of which it can 

 crawl out and save itself. He suggests that the swollen 1st and 

 2nd abdominal segments contain air that assists them to keep on 

 the surface, and he noticed that one that had fallen into the water 

 kept the thoracic segments above, the swollen segments being even 

 with, the surface. Corbin notes that two larvae, carried several miles 

 in a bottle of water by a boy, were taken out, soon recovered their 

 normal vitality, fed up on fuchsia and pupated. Chaumette observes 

 that the three anterior segments are extended or contracted, according 

 as the larva is feeding, walking, or in a state of repose, and, when 

 contracted, they are drawn into the 4th segment. The follow- 

 ing details of the dates when larvae have been observed 

 may prove interesting : Larvae are to be found from July-Sep- 

 tember in the Linz district, 19 fullfed larvae were captured in 

 early September, 1896, at Buchenau (Himslj, two dozen larvae found 

 on Epilobium'm a wood at Braunfels, on August 13th, 1900 (Sich), 

 August at Romsey (Buckell), larvae abundant from 2nd week in 

 August to the end of September at Maidstone (Gandy), August 11th- 

 24th, 1856, larvae at Cambridge (Farren), larvae August 15th, 

 1856, spun up August 21st at Bisterne, near Ringwood (Subs., p. 

 20), larva fullfed at Sherwood Forest on August 27th, 1856 

 (Pickard), fullgrown larva at Cuckfield on August 14th, 1857, pupated 

 August 19th (Merrifield), August 26th, 1857, larvae at Ilfracombe 

 (Mathew), August 4th-i7th, 1858, in Hammersmith Marshes (Gorham), 

 September 26th, i860 (ichneumoned), October, 1867 (ichneumoned), at 

 Folkestone (T. Briggs), larvae common in September in the marshes 

 at Deal, August nth, 1866, at Thame, August 6th-8th, 1867, at Deal, 

 July 22nd, 1874, larvae abundant at Lee — 4 dozen taken, August, 

 1874, at Catford, August 23rd-29th, 1888, September 24th, 1894, 

 at Deal, August 30th, 1896, at Dartford (Fenn), August 8th, 1867, 

 at Deal (Jones), in the hot summer of 1868, near Penzance, larvae 

 on bogbean in July, these pupated same month, and two imagines, 

 after pupal period of fortnight, emerged August 5th, 1868 

 (Matthews), July 15th, 1870, August 17th, 1875, August 17th, 

 1897, August 9th-ioth, 1899, August 4th, 1900, at Oxton (Studd), 

 larvae from June 22nd-August 3rd, 1878, at Wicken Fen, July 

 i6th-28th, 1879, at Cleethorpes (Porritt), July 13th, 1878, larva 

 at Brandon, larvae fullfed on August 15th, 1900, at Oxton (Bower), 

 September 13th, 1878, at Taunton (Parish), larvae end of August, 

 1 88 1, at Ipswich, August 23rd, 27th, 30th, September 1st, 1895, 

 at Freshwater (Mera), August 11th, 1882, at Henley, August 

 3rd 1883, at Bulmershe Park, August 5th, 1889, about 50 fullfed 

 at Reading, August 14th, 1892, fullfed at Sulham, August 15th, 



1896, at Oxford, August 2nd, 1898, at Caversham (Holland), 

 larvae August 22nd, 1882, at Stamford 1 1 ill, August 3rd, 1894, 

 at Horning (Sheldon), August 25th, 1885, all pupated by September 

 7th at Painswick (Watkins), September 17th- 19th, 1885, at the Lizard 

 (Riding), larva* September 9th, 1887, at Brentwood, August 13th, 



1897, at Bentley (Burrows), larvae nearly fullfed August 3rd, 

 1888, August 19th, 1894, August iith, 1895, August 16th, 1896, 



