﻿PLATYPTILIA 
  ISODACTYLUS. 
  187 
  

  

  4. 
  Forewing 
  ochreous-brown, 
  whitish-dusted, 
  clouded 
  with 
  fuscous 
  = 
  ab. 
  

  

  brunnea, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  5. 
  Forewing 
  brownish-fuscous, 
  sparingly 
  dusted 
  with 
  whitish, 
  partially 
  

  

  ochreous-mixed 
  posteriorly 
  = 
  &b. 
  fuscus, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  This 
  last-named 
  form 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  that 
  figured 
  by 
  Wood 
  (Index 
  

   Entomologicus, 
  pi. 
  li., 
  fig. 
  1643) 
  as 
  similidactylus. 
  Bankes 
  says 
  that 
  

   the 
  only 
  examples 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  seen 
  of 
  this 
  extremely 
  dark 
  form 
  are 
  a 
  

   few 
  ? 
  s 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  brood. 
  Two 
  specimens 
  from 
  the 
  Puerto 
  de 
  Pajares, 
  

   4000 
  ft. 
  elevation, 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  ab. 
  canus 
  and 
  ab. 
  fuscus 
  respectively. 
  

  

  Egglaying. 
  — 
  Pairing 
  took 
  place 
  on 
  the 
  evening 
  of 
  June 
  6th, 
  1904, 
  

   and 
  several 
  eggs 
  were 
  noticed 
  on 
  the 
  plant 
  the 
  next 
  day. 
  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  

   these 
  June 
  moths 
  are 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  undersides 
  of 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  Senecio 
  

   aquaticus 
  singly, 
  very 
  rarely 
  two 
  are 
  placed 
  together. 
  The 
  youngest 
  

   and 
  the 
  very 
  oldest 
  leaves 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  avoided. 
  The 
  egg-stage 
  lasts 
  

   ten 
  days, 
  the 
  first 
  larva 
  appearing 
  on 
  June 
  17th 
  (Chapman). 
  Eggs 
  of 
  

   the 
  August 
  moths 
  are 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  plant. 
  (It 
  should 
  

   be 
  noted 
  that 
  I 
  had 
  no 
  first-year 
  plants 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  could 
  oviposit, 
  

   and 
  as 
  my 
  old 
  plants 
  were 
  largely 
  reduced 
  to 
  stumps, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   ravages 
  of 
  the 
  summer-feeding 
  larvas, 
  there 
  was 
  little 
  choice 
  in 
  the 
  

   matter 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  moths 
  to 
  lay 
  where 
  they 
  did.) 
  Eggs 
  laid 
  between 
  

   August 
  8th 
  and 
  12th 
  commenced 
  to 
  hatch 
  on 
  August 
  21st 
  (Bacot). 
  

  

  Ovum.^ 
  — 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  very 
  smooth, 
  shining 
  and 
  polished, 
  so 
  that 
  

   any 
  sculpturing 
  or 
  structure 
  is 
  not 
  detected, 
  either 
  because 
  it 
  is, 
  

   exceedingly 
  faintly 
  marked 
  or 
  really 
  absent. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  pearly 
  white 
  ; 
  

   seen 
  from 
  above 
  they 
  are 
  a 
  fairly 
  regular 
  oval, 
  0'54mm. 
  in 
  length, 
  

   and 
  0-33mm. 
  in 
  transverse 
  diameter. 
  Seen 
  laterally, 
  they 
  are 
  flat 
  

   below 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  rounded 
  on 
  top, 
  but 
  only 
  slightly, 
  just 
  enough 
  to 
  

   make 
  it 
  incorrect 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  upper 
  and 
  lower 
  sides 
  are 
  both 
  flat 
  ; 
  

   the 
  ends 
  are 
  regularly 
  rounded, 
  one 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  other, 
  so 
  that 
  just 
  

   inside 
  the 
  larger 
  end 
  the 
  height 
  is 
  0*27mm., 
  and 
  inside 
  the 
  smaller 
  

   only 
  0-21mm. 
  (Chapman, 
  June 
  10th, 
  1904). 
  

  

  Habits 
  of 
  larva. 
  — 
  (1) 
  Summer 
  feeding 
  larvae 
  (second 
  brood) 
  : 
  

   Larvae 
  of 
  this 
  brood 
  appeared 
  from 
  June 
  17th-20th, 
  1904, 
  from 
  eggs 
  

   laid 
  between 
  June 
  7th- 
  10th. 
  The 
  newly-hatched 
  larvae 
  placed 
  on 
  

   leaves 
  of 
  the 
  foodplant, 
  and 
  those 
  that 
  hatched 
  from 
  eggs 
  laid 
  thereon, 
  

   with 
  one 
  exception, 
  took 
  to 
  wandering, 
  and 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  were 
  seen 
  to 
  drop 
  

   by 
  threads, 
  but 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  larvae 
  attacking 
  the 
  leaves 
  could 
  be 
  

   found. 
  Three 
  days 
  later, 
  however, 
  the 
  young 
  leaves 
  seem 
  inclined 
  to 
  

   droop, 
  and, 
  looking 
  at 
  the 
  axil 
  of 
  one 
  leaf, 
  a 
  considerable 
  drop 
  of 
  exuded 
  

   sap 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  observed 
  and 
  some 
  frass. 
  At 
  one 
  other 
  leaf, 
  at 
  least, 
  a 
  little 
  

   frass 
  appears 
  in 
  the 
  axil. 
  At 
  one 
  spot, 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  stem, 
  a 
  

   small 
  drop 
  of 
  fluid 
  is 
  seen, 
  as 
  large, 
  perhaps, 
  as 
  a 
  large 
  pinhead 
  ; 
  

   examining 
  this, 
  a 
  young 
  larva 
  is 
  seen 
  about 
  one-third 
  buried 
  in 
  the 
  

   stem, 
  the, 
  next 
  third 
  in 
  the 
  fluid, 
  and 
  the 
  anal 
  end 
  exposed 
  with 
  several 
  

   pellets 
  of 
  frass. 
  On 
  June 
  27th, 
  at 
  thirteen 
  different 
  leaf 
  axils 
  are 
  

   minute 
  expulsions 
  of 
  frass, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  wounds 
  in 
  the 
  bare 
  

   stem, 
  at 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  a 
  larva 
  was 
  seen 
  entering 
  ; 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  

   larval 
  work 
  in 
  leaves, 
  or 
  leafstalks, 
  or 
  midribs. 
  On 
  July 
  1st, 
  portions 
  

   removed 
  from 
  the 
  plant 
  with 
  several 
  larvae 
  in 
  it 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  since, 
  afford 
  

   three 
  small 
  larva 
  1 
  ; 
  these 
  were 
  placed 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  days 
  ago 
  on 
  two 
  other 
  

   plants, 
  and 
  have 
  now 
  burrowed 
  into 
  these, 
  choosing 
  for 
  em 
  ranee 
  the 
  

   lower 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  bud, 
  i.e., 
  between 
  the 
  bud 
  and 
  the 
  leaf 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  

   now 
  working 
  into 
  the 
  stem, 
  but 
  taking 
  some 
  tit-bits 
  from 
  the 
  interior 
  

   of 
  the 
  bud 
  on 
  the 
  way 
  (Chapman). 
  On 
  July 
  11th, 
  the 
  plant 
  of 
  Senecio 
  

  

  