﻿AMBLYPTILIA 
  COSMODACTYLA. 
  287 
  

  

  one 
  in 
  which 
  this 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  case 
  produced 
  two 
  punctidactyla 
  among 
  

   many 
  cosmodactyla, 
  and 
  the 
  larvae 
  from 
  which 
  cosmodactyla 
  was 
  bred 
  

   showed 
  every 
  shade 
  between 
  pink 
  and 
  deep 
  purple, 
  to 
  say 
  nothing 
  of 
  

   the 
  green 
  varieties. 
  The 
  heads 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  showed 
  wonderful 
  

   variation, 
  from 
  bone-coloured, 
  dirty-white, 
  and 
  greenish-white, 
  with 
  

   very 
  faint 
  traces 
  of 
  pale 
  brown 
  markings, 
  or, 
  in 
  extreme 
  cases, 
  with 
  no 
  

   markings 
  at 
  all, 
  through 
  green 
  or 
  yellowish 
  -brown, 
  strongly 
  marked 
  

   with 
  dark 
  brown 
  or 
  black, 
  down 
  to 
  wholly 
  black. 
  Very 
  few 
  larvae 
  

   could 
  be 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  batch 
  that 
  was 
  kept 
  apart, 
  solely 
  because 
  

   their 
  heads 
  were 
  entirely 
  black, 
  their 
  bodies 
  being 
  of 
  various 
  colours, 
  

   and 
  their 
  subdorsal 
  stripes 
  varying 
  much 
  in 
  intensity. 
  These, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  yielded 
  interesting 
  results, 
  for, 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  moths 
  that 
  emerged, 
  

   three 
  were 
  punctidactyla, 
  Haw., 
  and 
  only 
  one 
  cosmodactyla, 
  Hb. 
  ! 
  

   Thus 
  encouraged, 
  I 
  then 
  sorted 
  out 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  larvae 
  into 
  three 
  

   cages, 
  the 
  first 
  containing 
  larvae 
  whose 
  heads 
  were 
  wholly 
  black, 
  or 
  

   almost 
  wholly 
  so, 
  the 
  second 
  holding 
  those 
  in 
  whose 
  heads 
  the 
  paler 
  

   ground 
  colour 
  was 
  only 
  about 
  half 
  obscured 
  with 
  black, 
  whilst 
  in 
  the 
  

   third 
  cage 
  were 
  those 
  whose 
  heads 
  showed 
  still 
  less 
  black 
  marking, 
  or 
  

   none 
  at 
  all. 
  But, 
  to 
  my 
  great 
  disappointment, 
  no 
  punctidactyla 
  were 
  

   bred 
  from 
  any 
  of 
  these 
  three 
  cages, 
  not 
  even 
  from 
  the 
  first, 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  

   had 
  great 
  hopes 
  ! 
  Unluckily, 
  16 
  of 
  the 
  21 
  punctidactyla 
  bred 
  that 
  

   season 
  were 
  collected 
  as 
  pupae, 
  so 
  only 
  5 
  larvae 
  were 
  included 
  in 
  these 
  

   experiments. 
  I 
  was 
  still 
  more 
  unfortunate 
  in 
  1904, 
  for, 
  from 
  some 
  

   1500 
  larvae 
  and 
  pupae 
  found 
  that 
  year 
  in 
  South 
  Devon, 
  only 
  3 
  puncti- 
  

   dactyla 
  were 
  bred 
  among 
  758 
  cosmodactyla, 
  and 
  all 
  three 
  were 
  met 
  

   with 
  as 
  pupae. 
  But 
  the 
  immense 
  numbers 
  of 
  cosmodactyla 
  larvae, 
  then 
  

   kept 
  under 
  constant 
  observation, 
  showed 
  the 
  same 
  extraordinary 
  

   amount 
  of 
  variation, 
  as 
  did 
  those 
  collected 
  in 
  1 
  892, 
  in 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  

   the 
  head, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  and 
  the 
  conspicuousness, 
  or 
  

   the 
  reverse, 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  subdorsal 
  lines. 
  It 
  must, 
  of 
  course, 
  be 
  borne 
  

   in 
  mind 
  that, 
  in 
  cosmodactyla, 
  and 
  probably 
  in 
  its 
  ally, 
  the 
  head 
  is 
  

   black 
  until 
  the 
  last 
  larval 
  moult, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  larva, 
  no 
  matter 
  what 
  

   its 
  previous 
  colour 
  has 
  been, 
  becomes, 
  for 
  protection, 
  quite 
  green 
  when 
  

   it 
  is 
  full-fed, 
  and 
  is 
  just 
  about 
  to 
  pupate. 
  Perhaps 
  the 
  individual 
  larvae, 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  any 
  one 
  family 
  of 
  either 
  species, 
  often 
  show 
  only 
  a 
  some- 
  

   what 
  limited 
  amount 
  of 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  head, 
  etc., 
  and 
  

   this 
  may 
  account 
  for 
  Mr. 
  Porritt 
  having 
  been 
  led 
  by 
  the 
  larvae, 
  received 
  

   from 
  me, 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  differences 
  he 
  noticed 
  were 
  reliable. 
  In 
  

   this 
  connection 
  it 
  is 
  worthy 
  of 
  mention 
  that 
  whereas, 
  referring 
  to 
  

   larvae 
  of 
  cosmodactyla, 
  presumably 
  resulting 
  from 
  females 
  I 
  sent 
  him, 
  

   Dr. 
  Chapman 
  wrote 
  (in 
  litt., 
  September 
  29th, 
  1901) 
  : 
  ' 
  I 
  see 
  little 
  or 
  

   no 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  colour 
  and 
  markings 
  of 
  the 
  head,' 
  I 
  was, 
  at 
  that 
  very 
  

   time, 
  collecting 
  wild 
  larvae 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  which 
  showed 
  considerable 
  

   differences 
  in 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  head, 
  and 
  infinite 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  

   amount 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  markings 
  thereon, 
  some 
  having 
  the 
  head 
  entirely 
  

   black, 
  or 
  nearly 
  so, 
  whilst 
  in 
  others 
  this 
  colour 
  was 
  altogether 
  absent, 
  

   except 
  in 
  the 
  ocelli. 
  Both 
  the 
  purple 
  and 
  green 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  larva 
  are 
  

   without 
  doubt 
  protective." 
  

  

  Foodplants. 
  — 
  Almost 
  polyphagous, 
  especially 
  affecting 
  the 
  blossoms 
  

   of 
  leguminous, 
  labiate 
  and 
  composite 
  plants 
  — 
  Stachys 
  sylvatica 
  (Frey), 
  

   St 
  recta 
  (Hofmann), 
  N. 
  palustris 
  (Bossier), 
  n. 
  speciosa, 
  S. 
  coccinca 
  

   (Richter), 
  N. 
  officinalis 
  (teste 
  Sorhagen), 
  Salvia 
  glutinosa, 
  S. 
  pratetmis 
  

   (von 
  Hornig 
  and 
  Hofmann), 
  Euphrasia 
  lutea 
  (Schmid), 
  /■'. 
  officinalis 
  

   (teste 
  Sorhagen), 
  Bartsia 
  odontites 
  (Button), 
  ( 
  'alamintha 
  nepeta 
  (Schmid), 
  

  

  