﻿304 
  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  placed 
  beyond 
  the 
  middle, 
  more 
  towards 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  plumule 
  ; 
  it 
  

   is 
  nearly 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  broad, 
  and, 
  in 
  this 
  direction, 
  varies 
  only 
  very 
  

   seldom, 
  in 
  any 
  case 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  A. 
  cosmodactyla 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  

   of 
  the 
  tuft, 
  the 
  inner 
  marginal 
  fringes 
  are 
  white 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  for 
  some 
  

   distance 
  (Hofmann). 
  I 
  cannot 
  see 
  that, 
  in 
  Britain, 
  punctidactyla 
  

   averages 
  at 
  all 
  broader 
  in 
  the 
  wing 
  than 
  its 
  ally 
  (Bankes). 
  I 
  should 
  

   note 
  our 
  Devon 
  punctidactyla 
  as 
  dark 
  green, 
  mixed 
  with 
  greyish- 
  

   ochreous 
  (losing 
  some 
  of 
  this 
  colour 
  after 
  a 
  time, 
  and 
  getting 
  

   sometimes 
  a 
  somewhat 
  redder 
  tinge) 
  ; 
  much 
  more 
  mottled 
  than 
  

   cosmodactyla 
  ; 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  and 
  conspicuous 
  black 
  scale-tooth 
  

   on 
  both 
  fore- 
  and 
  hindwings, 
  especially 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  3rd 
  plumule 
  of 
  

   hindwing 
  ; 
  much 
  more 
  prolonged 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  lobe 
  of 
  the 
  fore- 
  

   wing, 
  beyond 
  cleft, 
  beak-like 
  ; 
  a 
  white 
  costal 
  spot 
  immediately 
  before 
  

   apex 
  (both 
  these 
  latter 
  characters 
  absent 
  in 
  cosmodactyla). 
  The 
  latter 
  

   is 
  reddish-brown, 
  with 
  a 
  greenish 
  hue 
  in 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  specimens 
  when 
  

   bred; 
  smoother, 
  neater, 
  more 
  unicolorous, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  more 
  regular 
  

   pattern 
  than 
  in 
  punctidactyla 
  (Riding). 
  [See 
  also 
  antea, 
  p. 
  279.] 
  

  

  Habits 
  of 
  larva. 
  — 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  punctidactyla 
  are 
  so 
  very 
  

   similar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  cosmodactyla, 
  and 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  foodplants, 
  has 
  led 
  

   to 
  very 
  little 
  that 
  is 
  reliable 
  being 
  written 
  about 
  them. 
  In 
  late 
  July 
  and 
  

   early 
  August, 
  Riding 
  finds 
  the 
  larvse 
  of 
  both 
  insects 
  apparently 
  together 
  

   on 
  Stachys 
  sylvatica, 
  at 
  Buckerell. 
  He 
  notes 
  (in 
  litt.) 
  : 
  " 
  They 
  are 
  

   very 
  uncertain 
  in 
  appearance, 
  in 
  some 
  years 
  abundant, 
  in 
  others, 
  as 
  in 
  

   1904, 
  not 
  one 
  to 
  be 
  found." 
  He 
  says 
  (Ent. 
  Rec, 
  xi., 
  p. 
  289) 
  that, 
  in 
  

   early 
  August, 
  1899, 
  he 
  spent 
  many 
  hours 
  in 
  woods, 
  and 
  beside 
  hedges 
  

   and 
  ditches, 
  hunting 
  for 
  the 
  larvse 
  of 
  the 
  Stachys 
  "plume," 
  or 
  "plumes," 
  

   and 
  he 
  rarely 
  obtained 
  more 
  than 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  per 
  hour. 
  Both 
  red 
  and 
  

   green 
  larvae 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  obtained, 
  the 
  former 
  generally 
  the 
  smaller, 
  and 
  

   to 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  before 
  the 
  purplish-red 
  corolla 
  has 
  fallen 
  off, 
  the 
  latter 
  

   larger 
  and 
  on 
  plants 
  that 
  were 
  seeding, 
  the 
  colour 
  being 
  evidently 
  

   protective. 
  From 
  the 
  few 
  kept, 
  two 
  large 
  olive-green 
  imagines 
  with 
  

   black 
  and 
  white 
  markings 
  (punctidactyla), 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  and 
  reddish- 
  

   brown 
  (cosmodactyla) 
  one, 
  were 
  bred. 
  He 
  further 
  notes 
  (op. 
  cit., 
  x., 
  

   p. 
  263) 
  that 
  a 
  large 
  percentage 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  is 
  ichneumoned 
  ; 
  in 
  1898, 
  

   he 
  places 
  it 
  at 
  85 
  per 
  cent. 
  Among 
  the 
  imagines 
  reared, 
  specimens 
  of 
  

   both 
  punctidactyla 
  and 
  cosmodactyla 
  appeared. 
  In 
  1899, 
  the 
  larvae 
  

   were 
  found 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  unripe 
  buds, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   flower, 
  the 
  most 
  advanced 
  dipping 
  into 
  the 
  seed 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  

   cup, 
  just 
  like 
  a 
  Dianthoeciid 
  larva 
  in 
  the 
  capsules 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  food. 
  He 
  

   further 
  observes 
  (in 
  litt.) 
  that 
  he 
  only 
  knew 
  one 
  locality 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  

   could 
  rely 
  on 
  getting 
  larvae 
  of 
  A. 
  punctidactyla, 
  without 
  discriminating 
  

   the 
  larvae, 
  viz., 
  in 
  Harpford 
  Woods, 
  between 
  Buckerell 
  and 
  Sidmouth. 
  

   In 
  the 
  lanes 
  and 
  hedges, 
  where 
  the 
  larvae 
  were 
  abundant 
  on 
  Stachys 
  

   sylvatica, 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  would 
  turn 
  out 
  to 
  be 
  A. 
  punctidactyla, 
  but 
  the 
  

   majority 
  A. 
  cosmodactyla. 
  He 
  adds, 
  " 
  I 
  generally 
  searched 
  for 
  the 
  

   larvae 
  of 
  punctidactyla 
  in 
  Harpford 
  Woods, 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  second 
  weeks 
  

   in 
  August, 
  when 
  I 
  sometimes 
  found 
  them 
  nearly 
  fullfed, 
  but 
  the 
  best 
  

   time 
  to 
  look 
  for 
  them 
  would 
  be, 
  however, 
  the 
  second, 
  third, 
  and 
  fourth 
  

   weeks 
  of 
  July 
  ; 
  I 
  never 
  discriminated 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  species, 
  and 
  

   only 
  observed 
  that 
  (1) 
  some 
  larvae 
  were 
  dull 
  reddish-purple 
  in 
  colour 
  (the 
  

   hue 
  of 
  the 
  flowers 
  of 
  Stachys), 
  with 
  darker 
  dorsal 
  vessel, 
  and 
  whitish 
  

   subdorsal 
  and 
  spiracular 
  bands, 
  whilst 
  (2) 
  others 
  were 
  yellowish-brown, 
  

   with 
  darker 
  dorsal 
  vessel, 
  and 
  a 
  band 
  of 
  reddish-purple, 
  partly, 
  or 
  all, 
  

   along 
  the 
  dorsum 
  ; 
  (3) 
  others 
  darker 
  green, 
  with 
  no 
  red 
  colour. 
  1 
  

  

  