﻿ADACTYLUS 
  BENNETII. 
  189 
  

  

  the 
  early 
  summer 
  (June) 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  later 
  (August) 
  brood 
  in 
  

   most 
  seasons. 
  When 
  the 
  larvae 
  are 
  first 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  April 
  they 
  appear 
  

   to 
  be 
  of 
  variable 
  size, 
  and 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  at 
  least 
  three 
  different 
  stadia 
  ; 
  they 
  

   attack 
  the 
  leaves 
  in 
  various 
  ways 
  ; 
  often 
  a 
  piece 
  is 
  eaten 
  clean 
  off 
  the 
  

   apex, 
  at 
  others 
  a 
  slice 
  is 
  taken 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  side 
  ; 
  frequently 
  the 
  space 
  

   eaten 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  case 
  is 
  just 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  larva 
  

   both 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  width, 
  the 
  larva 
  frequently 
  resting 
  along 
  the 
  eaten 
  

   portion 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  inconspicuous, 
  although, 
  certainly, 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  

   frequently 
  found 
  near 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  leaf, 
  and 
  are 
  especially 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  

   fond 
  of 
  basking 
  in 
  the 
  sun. 
  Ovenden 
  observes 
  that, 
  although 
  they 
  perforate 
  

   the 
  leaves 
  in 
  confinement, 
  they 
  never 
  appear 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  in 
  nature 
  when 
  

   young, 
  yet 
  Gardner 
  says 
  that, 
  on 
  the 
  Greatham 
  Marshes, 
  the 
  larvae 
  are 
  

   not 
  uncommon, 
  making 
  small 
  holes 
  through 
  the 
  leaves 
  in 
  May 
  and 
  

   June, 
  the 
  holes 
  betraying 
  their 
  presence 
  on 
  the 
  Statice 
  Umonium. 
  

   Chapman 
  notes 
  that 
  larvae 
  found 
  on 
  May 
  7th, 
  1899, 
  on 
  the 
  saltmarshes 
  

   near 
  Southend, 
  were 
  of 
  different 
  sizes, 
  from 
  nearly 
  fullgrown 
  green 
  

   examples 
  to 
  small 
  rusty- 
  coloured 
  ones, 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  quarter-of-an-inch 
  

   long 
  ; 
  of 
  those 
  taken, 
  only 
  one 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  upperside 
  of 
  a 
  leaf, 
  the 
  rest 
  

   all 
  beneath, 
  on 
  the 
  newly-grown 
  leaves, 
  generally 
  low 
  down 
  on, 
  or 
  close 
  

   to, 
  the 
  petiole, 
  whilst 
  Meek 
  notes 
  that, 
  although 
  they 
  rest 
  on 
  the 
  leaves 
  

   when 
  young, 
  they 
  later 
  get 
  down 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  and 
  

   are 
  just 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  leafstalk 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  then 
  rest. 
  Ovenden 
  

   observes 
  that, 
  on 
  May 
  13th, 
  1901, 
  larvae 
  were 
  still 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  in 
  all 
  

   sizes, 
  from 
  the 
  winter 
  (hybernating) 
  skin 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  full-grown, 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  

   uncommonly, 
  at 
  rest 
  on 
  Statice, 
  and 
  fairly 
  easy 
  to 
  find 
  when 
  once 
  their 
  

   habits 
  were 
  known. 
  He 
  says 
  they 
  now 
  feed 
  and 
  rest 
  exposed, 
  but 
  many 
  

   get 
  beneath 
  a 
  leaf 
  ; 
  and 
  whilst 
  some 
  larvae 
  make 
  perforations 
  in 
  the 
  

   leaves, 
  others 
  clear 
  along 
  the 
  edge 
  as 
  they 
  go, 
  and 
  when 
  a 
  nearly 
  fullgrown 
  

   larva 
  gets 
  hold 
  of 
  a 
  young 
  rolled-up 
  leaf, 
  he 
  will 
  clear 
  it 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  

   petiole. 
  The 
  larvae 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  most 
  freely 
  on 
  solitary 
  plants, 
  

   growing 
  amongst 
  the 
  other 
  herbage 
  which 
  appears 
  to 
  offer 
  some 
  protec- 
  

   tion 
  ; 
  such 
  Statice 
  plants 
  are 
  usually 
  much 
  larger 
  and 
  more 
  succulent. 
  

   Where 
  the 
  leaves 
  are 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  eaten, 
  and 
  no 
  exposed 
  larvae 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  

   detected 
  , 
  then 
  carefully 
  turn 
  back 
  the 
  leaves, 
  when 
  the 
  larvae 
  will 
  generally 
  

   be 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  underside 
  ; 
  if 
  this 
  fail, 
  a 
  careful 
  search 
  of 
  the 
  herbage 
  and 
  

   grass 
  culms 
  just 
  near 
  will 
  often 
  be 
  rewarded 
  with 
  success, 
  for 
  the 
  larva, 
  

   although 
  somewhat 
  sluggish, 
  is 
  easily 
  disturbed 
  ; 
  it 
  feeds 
  both 
  by 
  night 
  

   and 
  day. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  larval 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  brood 
  varies 
  much. 
  

   Ovenden 
  had 
  larvae, 
  collected 
  at 
  Strood, 
  commence 
  to 
  pupate 
  on 
  May 
  9th, 
  

   1904, 
  whilst 
  other 
  larvae 
  were 
  still 
  small, 
  and 
  Whittle 
  found 
  hybernated 
  

   larvae 
  still 
  feeding 
  at 
  Benfleet 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  June 
  8th 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  year. 
  The 
  

   larvae 
  of 
  the 
  summer 
  brood 
  hatch 
  normally 
  between 
  mid-May 
  and 
  the 
  end 
  

   of 
  June, 
  and, 
  quite 
  contrary 
  to 
  the 
  long 
  larval 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  larvae, 
  have 
  

   a 
  very 
  short 
  existence 
  in 
  this 
  stage, 
  the 
  pupae 
  being 
  usually 
  abundant 
  from 
  

   the 
  middle 
  of 
  July 
  until 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  August. 
  They 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  

   the 
  greatest 
  abundance 
  from 
  mid- 
  June 
  to 
  mid-July, 
  again 
  in 
  September 
  

   and 
  October, 
  being 
  much 
  less 
  abundant 
  in 
  April 
  ami 
  May 
  after 
  hyberna- 
  

   tion, 
  although 
  usually 
  still 
  common. 
  Larvae 
  have 
  been 
  recorded 
  as 
  

   taken 
  on 
  May 
  22nd, 
  1890, 
  at 
  Greatham 
  Marshes 
  (Bower) 
  ; 
  August 
  i>r, 
  

   1890, 
  at 
  Portland 
  (Eichardson) 
  ; 
  May 
  '20th. 
  1892, 
  at 
  Shoeburyness 
  

   (Bower); 
  May 
  15th, 
  1898, 
  at 
  Canvey 
  (Whittle); 
  common 
  during 
  the 
  

   first 
  fortnight 
  of 
  May, 
  1899, 
  near 
  Southend 
  (Whittle); 
  abundant 
  at 
  

   Strood, 
  from 
  April 
  16th 
  continuously 
  until 
  May 
  19th, 
  L904, 
  the 
  

  

  