﻿PLATYPTILIA 
  GONODACTYLA. 
  207 
  

  

  distance 
  where 
  the 
  pith 
  was 
  also 
  eaten 
  ; 
  neither 
  the 
  achenes 
  nor 
  

   floral 
  structures 
  showed 
  any 
  sign 
  of 
  being 
  eaten. 
  The 
  large 
  pro- 
  

   portion 
  of 
  larvas 
  that 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  receptacle 
  and 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  flower-stalk, 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  frass 
  here, 
  and 
  the 
  absolute 
  clear- 
  

   ance 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  soft, 
  cellular, 
  pithy 
  material 
  in 
  this 
  portion, 
  with 
  

   no 
  connection 
  whatever 
  with 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  stalk, 
  which 
  was 
  

   quite 
  sound, 
  made 
  it 
  quite 
  clear 
  that 
  these 
  larvas 
  had 
  entered 
  from 
  the 
  

   top, 
  and 
  had 
  not 
  worked 
  their 
  way 
  up 
  inside 
  the 
  stalk. 
  Only 
  one 
  larva 
  

   showed 
  actual 
  evidence 
  of 
  having 
  eaten 
  the 
  achenes 
  and 
  floral 
  structures; 
  

   this 
  was 
  a 
  large 
  fullfed 
  larva, 
  coiled 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  cleared 
  out 
  receptacle, 
  

   which 
  was 
  surrounded 
  by 
  the 
  fruits 
  in 
  a 
  green, 
  juicy 
  state, 
  on 
  which 
  

   it 
  had 
  been 
  evidently 
  feeding 
  heartily. 
  This 
  particular 
  stem 
  showed 
  

   no 
  trace 
  whatever 
  of 
  having 
  been 
  attacked 
  previously 
  by 
  any 
  larva 
  in 
  

   its 
  lower 
  internodes, 
  and, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  the 
  larva 
  had 
  left 
  another 
  head 
  to 
  

   complete 
  its 
  feeding 
  in 
  this 
  one. 
  This 
  most 
  careful 
  examination 
  has 
  

   left 
  us 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  uncertain 
  state 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  larva. 
  

   The 
  larva 
  appears, 
  when 
  small, 
  to 
  bore 
  into 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  un- 
  

   developed 
  peduncle 
  (whether 
  in 
  early 
  or 
  late 
  winter 
  is 
  doubtful), 
  and 
  

   to 
  remain 
  there 
  until 
  the 
  peduncle 
  has 
  grown 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of, 
  at 
  least, 
  

   three 
  or 
  four 
  inches 
  above 
  the 
  ground. 
  [It 
  may 
  even 
  very 
  occasionally 
  

   work 
  its 
  way 
  up 
  the 
  peduncle 
  to 
  the 
  capitulum 
  through 
  the 
  stem, 
  but 
  

   we 
  incline 
  to 
  doubt 
  it.] 
  It 
  appears 
  then 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   peduncle, 
  and 
  to 
  enter 
  the 
  receptacle 
  through 
  the 
  flower, 
  feeding 
  on 
  

   the 
  pith 
  of 
  the 
  receptacle 
  and 
  peduncle, 
  and 
  moving 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  

   therein 
  with 
  the 
  greatest 
  ease, 
  and 
  almost 
  always 
  travelling 
  with 
  its 
  

   head 
  downwards. 
  If 
  one, 
  containing 
  pith, 
  be 
  insufficient 
  to 
  bring 
  it 
  to 
  

   maturity, 
  it 
  leaves 
  the 
  peduncle 
  and 
  enters 
  another 
  just-expanding 
  

   flowerhead, 
  often, 
  however, 
  getting 
  no 
  further 
  than 
  the 
  receptacle, 
  

   which 
  it 
  clears 
  before 
  coiling 
  itself 
  to 
  feast 
  on 
  the 
  achenes 
  and 
  florets, 
  

   growing 
  rapidly, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  coming 
  to 
  maturity. 
  Although 
  

   a 
  larva 
  from 
  September 
  to 
  May, 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  the 
  growth 
  takes 
  place 
  

   in 
  the 
  last 
  three 
  weeks 
  of 
  its 
  larval 
  life, 
  when, 
  from 
  a 
  slender 
  larva 
  of 
  

   some 
  7mm. 
  or 
  8mm. 
  in 
  length, 
  by 
  less 
  than 
  2mm. 
  in 
  width, 
  it 
  grows 
  to 
  a 
  

   plump, 
  fat 
  larva 
  of 
  some 
  20mm., 
  with 
  a 
  width 
  of 
  4mm. 
  -6mm. 
  (April 
  21st, 
  

   1904). 
  In 
  confinement, 
  laggard 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  spring 
  brood 
  will 
  feed 
  

   up 
  on 
  leaves 
  quite 
  comfortably, 
  and 
  may 
  occasionally 
  also 
  be 
  found 
  

   doing 
  so 
  in 
  nature 
  (Tutt). 
  Sich 
  observes 
  that, 
  in 
  April, 
  when 
  the 
  

   larvas 
  are 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  2-5mm. 
  long, 
  they 
  will 
  burrow 
  a 
  certain 
  

   distance 
  into 
  the 
  lower 
  solid 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  scape, 
  but 
  are 
  more 
  often 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  hollow 
  portion. 
  In 
  some 
  cases, 
  the 
  larva 
  enters 
  the 
  scape 
  

   by 
  biting 
  a 
  hole 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  numerous 
  scales 
  

   which 
  clothe 
  the 
  scape, 
  in 
  other 
  cases, 
  the 
  larva 
  will 
  burrow 
  down 
  

   among 
  the 
  florets 
  (or 
  pappus 
  if 
  the 
  flower 
  be 
  over) 
  and 
  bite 
  a 
  hole 
  

   through 
  the 
  receptacle, 
  usually 
  at 
  the 
  centre. 
  Once 
  inside, 
  it 
  remains 
  

   concealed 
  and 
  feeds 
  on 
  the 
  soft 
  cellular 
  tissue 
  which 
  lines 
  the 
  interior 
  

   of 
  the 
  scape 
  and 
  lower 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  receptacle. 
  It 
  never 
  appears 
  to 
  

   eat 
  either 
  the 
  florets 
  or 
  the 
  achenes. 
  It 
  usually 
  undergoes 
  ecdysis 
  in 
  

   the 
  scape, 
  and 
  moves 
  readily 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  another 
  stem. 
  When 
  the 
  

   larva 
  is 
  in 
  its 
  last 
  instar 
  it 
  occasionally 
  eats 
  away 
  the 
  tissue 
  almost 
  

   down 
  to 
  the 
  outer 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  scape, 
  which 
  causes 
  the 
  flower- 
  head 
  to 
  

   droop. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  larval 
  feeding-habits 
  in 
  nature. 
  Bankea 
  

   states 
  that, 
  eleven 
  larva) 
  found, 
  April 
  80th, 
  1904, 
  in 
  the 
  Isle 
  of 
  Purbeok, 
  

   showed 
  the 
  following 
  different 
  feeding-habits 
  : 
  (1) 
  Two 
  young 
  larva 
  1 
  feed- 
  

  

  