﻿282 
  

  

  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  two 
  species 
  are 
  separable 
  by 
  colour, 
  but 
  a 
  minute 
  examination 
  of 
  each 
  

   detail 
  is 
  wanted. 
  From 
  the 
  larvae 
  thus 
  collected 
  both 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  

   reared." 
  Steudel 
  and 
  Hofmann 
  long 
  since 
  noted, 
  at 
  Kochendorf, 
  

   Germany, 
  that 
  the 
  larva? 
  attack 
  and 
  eat 
  the 
  inactive 
  larvae 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  

   species 
  when 
  the 
  latter 
  are 
  spun 
  up 
  for 
  pupation. 
  Bankes 
  also 
  

   observes 
  (in 
  litt.) 
  that, 
  amongst 
  the 
  many 
  hundreds 
  of 
  larvae 
  that 
  he 
  

   has 
  reared 
  at 
  various 
  times, 
  none 
  have 
  ever 
  shown 
  any 
  inclination 
  to 
  

   prey 
  upon 
  one 
  another, 
  the 
  weaker 
  ones 
  probably 
  owing 
  their 
  

   immunity 
  from 
  attack 
  to 
  the 
  hairiness 
  of 
  their 
  coats, 
  but, 
  as 
  recorded 
  

   (Ent. 
  Rec, 
  xvii., 
  p. 
  48), 
  the 
  larvae 
  have, 
  in 
  his 
  experience, 
  invariably 
  

   proved 
  fearful 
  cannibals 
  towards 
  the 
  naked 
  pupae 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  species, 
  

   which 
  they 
  devour 
  with 
  the 
  greatest 
  gusto, 
  even 
  when 
  supplied 
  with 
  

   an 
  abundance 
  of 
  fresh 
  food. 
  He 
  suspects 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  so 
  in 
  nature 
  

   at 
  times, 
  as 
  he 
  has 
  a 
  note 
  of 
  a 
  pupa 
  being 
  found, 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  

   which 
  had 
  been 
  eaten 
  away, 
  and 
  a 
  larva, 
  most 
  probably 
  the 
  culprit, 
  

   very 
  suspiciously 
  near 
  it. 
  In 
  one 
  case, 
  he 
  observed 
  a 
  pupa 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  being 
  devoured 
  by 
  a 
  Geometric! 
  larva 
  (sp. 
  ?) 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  

   found 
  on 
  Stachys 
  sylvatica. 
  In 
  another 
  case, 
  a 
  pupa, 
  of 
  which 
  

   practically 
  the 
  whole 
  had 
  been 
  eaten, 
  except 
  the 
  posterior 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  abdomen, 
  was 
  still 
  fully 
  able 
  to 
  move 
  this 
  part 
  about, 
  when 
  

   annoyed 
  or 
  touched. 
  The 
  following 
  actual 
  dates 
  of 
  larvae 
  found 
  wild 
  

   may 
  be 
  recorded 
  : 
  July 
  20th, 
  1846, 
  at 
  Meseritz 
  (Zeller) 
  ; 
  August, 
  

   1855, 
  on 
  Ononis, 
  at 
  Plymouth 
  (Eeading) 
  ; 
  larvae 
  in 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   profusion 
  on 
  Ononis, 
  at 
  Bolt 
  Head, 
  on 
  July 
  7th-8th, 
  1870 
  (Mathew) 
  ; 
  

   larvae 
  collected 
  in 
  September, 
  1871, 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  flowers 
  of 
  Bartsia 
  

   odontites 
  in 
  the 
  Gravesend 
  district 
  (Button) 
  ; 
  August 
  30th, 
  1883, 
  at 
  

   Ventnor 
  (South) 
  : 
  August 
  6th, 
  1884, 
  July 
  26th, 
  August 
  5th-25th, 
  

   1886, 
  in 
  the 
  Isle 
  of 
  Purbeck 
  (Bankes) 
  ; 
  September 
  7th, 
  1886, 
  at 
  

   Worthing 
  (Fletcher); 
  July 
  30th, 
  1890, 
  August 
  15th 
  -October 
  5th, 
  

   1892, 
  very 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  Isle 
  of 
  Purbeck 
  (Bankes) 
  ; 
  September 
  

   22nd, 
  1892, 
  at 
  Lee, 
  September 
  23rd, 
  1892, 
  at 
  Mottingham 
  (Bower) 
  ; 
  

   pupae, 
  September 
  20th-26th, 
  1894, 
  in 
  Isle 
  of 
  Purbeck; 
  larvae, 
  

   September 
  25th 
  -October 
  1st, 
  1902, 
  at 
  Dartmouth; 
  July 
  2nd, 
  young 
  

   larvae, 
  and 
  July 
  24th, 
  1904, 
  in 
  the 
  Isle 
  of 
  Purbeck 
  ; 
  September 
  3rd- 
  

   October 
  3rd, 
  1904, 
  at 
  Dartmouth 
  (Bankes). 
  

  

  Larva. 
  — 
  First 
  instar 
  : 
  Fully 
  1mm. 
  long 
  when 
  stretched; 
  the 
  head 
  

   black 
  ; 
  the 
  anal 
  plate, 
  and 
  prothoracic 
  shield, 
  dark 
  ; 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  

   greenish- 
  white 
  ; 
  the 
  spinneret 
  very 
  long 
  ; 
  the 
  claws 
  of 
  true 
  legs, 
  long, 
  

   sharp, 
  slender. 
  The 
  labial 
  palpi 
  are 
  longer, 
  and 
  more 
  evident, 
  than 
  the 
  

   antennae. 
  The 
  props 
  of 
  prolegs 
  rather 
  long, 
  0'05mm., 
  and 
  slender, 
  of 
  

   anal 
  claspers 
  not 
  quite 
  so 
  long 
  (0-06mm.) 
  or 
  slender. 
  In 
  one 
  specimen 
  

   all 
  the 
  prolegs 
  have 
  but 
  two 
  crochets 
  ; 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  others, 
  three 
  seems 
  to 
  

   be 
  the 
  normal 
  number 
  ; 
  this 
  specimen 
  has 
  also 
  seven 
  crochets 
  on 
  the 
  

   claspers, 
  whilst 
  five 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  normal 
  number, 
  varying 
  frequently, 
  

   however, 
  to 
  six. 
  The 
  prothoracic 
  spiracle 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  large, 
  tall, 
  boss, 
  

   the 
  others 
  rather 
  less. 
  The 
  bases 
  of 
  the 
  tubercles 
  are 
  just 
  perceptibly 
  

   tinted. 
  Thehairs 
  are 
  rather 
  long, 
  that 
  on 
  i 
  about 
  0-08mm., 
  on 
  ii 
  0'04mm., 
  

   on 
  iii 
  0*09mm., 
  on 
  vi 
  0-09mm., 
  long. 
  Their 
  disposition 
  is 
  practically 
  

   identical 
  with 
  most 
  first 
  stage 
  "plume" 
  larvae. 
  Those 
  on 
  i 
  and 
  ii 
  curve 
  

   forwards, 
  iii 
  backwards, 
  iv 
  a 
  little 
  backwards, 
  length 
  about 
  0-08mm., 
  

   v 
  forwards, 
  length 
  about 
  0-05mm. 
  ; 
  i 
  and 
  ii 
  are 
  about 
  half 
  the 
  width 
  

   of 
  the 
  segment 
  apart; 
  and 
  ii 
  half 
  as 
  far 
  again 
  from 
  the 
  middle 
  line 
  as 
  

   i 
  ; 
  v 
  rather 
  further 
  than 
  usual 
  above 
  iv 
  ; 
  these 
  latter 
  are 
  on 
  separate 
  bases 
  ; 
  

  

  