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  BKITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  hybernating 
  cocoon, 
  consisting 
  of 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  burrow 
  in 
  the 
  living 
  

   stem, 
  with 
  one 
  or 
  more, 
  generally 
  two 
  or 
  three, 
  diaphragms 
  of 
  silk 
  

   cutting 
  it 
  off 
  from 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  burrow 
  containing 
  frass, 
  and, 
  no 
  

   doubt, 
  acting 
  as 
  a 
  protection 
  against 
  animal 
  or 
  vegetable 
  parasites 
  

   using 
  the 
  frass-filled 
  burrow 
  as 
  an 
  approach 
  to 
  the 
  dormant 
  larva 
  ; 
  

   several 
  of 
  these 
  larvae 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  split 
  ends 
  of 
  branches 
  of 
  

   growing 
  plants, 
  and 
  appeared 
  to 
  make 
  their 
  way 
  into 
  them. 
  On 
  

   January 
  25th, 
  1905, 
  a 
  plant 
  was 
  examined, 
  and 
  a 
  larva 
  found 
  much 
  as 
  

   in 
  August 
  last 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  a 
  cavity 
  in 
  the 
  stem, 
  2ins. 
  from 
  the 
  end, 
  and 
  

   with 
  a 
  little 
  protective 
  spinning 
  (Chapman). 
  Bacot 
  notes 
  that, 
  in 
  

   April, 
  the 
  stems 
  of 
  a 
  plant, 
  in 
  which 
  larvae 
  had 
  wintered, 
  began 
  to 
  

   wither, 
  although 
  previously 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  nourishing, 
  suggesting 
  that 
  

   the 
  larvae 
  may 
  do 
  some 
  boring 
  in 
  the 
  spring. 
  About 
  this 
  time, 
  however, 
  

   the 
  larvae 
  leave 
  the 
  stems 
  and 
  feed 
  externally, 
  the 
  approximate 
  date 
  

   not 
  yet 
  determined, 
  and 
  by 
  mid-April 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  lying 
  on 
  the 
  

   extending 
  bloom-spike, 
  or 
  almost 
  hidden 
  among 
  the 
  flower-buds, 
  and, 
  

   w 
  T 
  hen 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  spike, 
  which 
  is 
  usually 
  a 
  little 
  yellowish, 
  are 
  

   rather 
  difficult 
  to 
  see, 
  so 
  well 
  does 
  their 
  colour 
  respond 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  their 
  

   resting-place. 
  Ovenden 
  notes 
  (Ma}^ 
  17th, 
  1904) 
  that 
  "the 
  larvae 
  are 
  

   best 
  found 
  on 
  warm 
  mornings, 
  before 
  the 
  flowers 
  are 
  fully 
  out, 
  looking 
  

   exactly 
  like 
  a 
  peculiar 
  bud, 
  when, 
  with 
  only 
  the 
  hind 
  segments 
  show- 
  

   ing, 
  they 
  have 
  pushed 
  their 
  heads 
  into 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  buds 
  to 
  eat 
  out 
  the 
  

   heart 
  of 
  it 
  ; 
  when 
  not 
  too 
  badly 
  bitten, 
  the 
  flowers 
  subsequently 
  

   expand, 
  and 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  corolla 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  observed 
  adhering 
  to 
  

   the 
  calyx. 
  When 
  the 
  flowers 
  are 
  fully 
  expanded, 
  the 
  larvae 
  are 
  more 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  find, 
  and 
  are 
  then 
  often 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  underside 
  of 
  the 
  

   leaves, 
  where 
  their 
  resemblance 
  to 
  the 
  midrib 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  makes 
  their 
  

   discovery 
  very 
  difficult." 
  On 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  May 
  23rd, 
  1904, 
  just 
  

   outside 
  Folkestone, 
  small 
  larvae 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  were 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  un- 
  

   common, 
  generally 
  resting 
  within 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  upper 
  leaves 
  that 
  

   expand 
  directly 
  below 
  the 
  flower-spike. 
  They 
  were 
  not 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  

   find, 
  although 
  the 
  larval 
  hairs, 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  plant, 
  especially 
  on 
  

   the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  calyx, 
  are 
  very 
  similar, 
  and 
  help 
  in 
  their 
  protective 
  

   resemblance 
  to 
  their 
  surroundings. 
  Their 
  small 
  size 
  was 
  very 
  

   remarkable, 
  as 
  some, 
  taken 
  some 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  weeks 
  before 
  at 
  Stroocl, 
  

   were 
  spun 
  up 
  for 
  pupation 
  at 
  the 
  time. 
  Bankes 
  observes 
  that, 
  on 
  

   May 
  7th-9th, 
  1904, 
  at 
  Corfe 
  Castle, 
  he 
  found 
  young 
  larvae 
  living 
  in 
  

   slightly 
  spun 
  -up 
  shoots 
  of 
  Veronica 
  chamaedrys, 
  eating 
  out 
  the 
  tender 
  

   heart 
  of 
  the 
  shoot. 
  Some 
  (2-5mm. 
  in 
  length) 
  were 
  preparing 
  to 
  moult, 
  

   (an 
  operation 
  which 
  two 
  had 
  already 
  completed). 
  They 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  

   Bacot, 
  who 
  reports 
  that, 
  " 
  by 
  the 
  10th, 
  the 
  others 
  were 
  preparing 
  to 
  

   moult, 
  each 
  resting 
  along 
  a 
  young 
  leaf 
  of 
  the 
  shoot, 
  and 
  casting 
  off, 
  at 
  

   this 
  change, 
  the 
  generalised 
  appearance 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  hitherto 
  possessed, 
  

   and 
  which 
  makes 
  it 
  look 
  rather 
  unlike 
  a 
  typical 
  plume 
  larva 
  in 
  

   its 
  earliest 
  stages." 
  For 
  moulting, 
  the 
  larvae 
  spin 
  together 
  a 
  few 
  

   leaves 
  or 
  flowers, 
  making 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  cocoon 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  change 
  takes 
  

   place. 
  Ovenden 
  further 
  notes 
  that 
  "larvae 
  varied 
  very 
  much 
  in 
  

   size 
  at 
  Cuxton, 
  on 
  May 
  4th, 
  1904, 
  none, 
  however, 
  being 
  at 
  all 
  

   well-grown, 
  but, 
  on 
  May 
  26th, 
  1904, 
  at 
  Higham, 
  larvae 
  were 
  very 
  

   abundant, 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  speedwell 
  that 
  covered 
  a 
  bank, 
  and 
  now 
  

   in 
  full 
  bloom, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  evidently 
  quite 
  fullfed, 
  and 
  resting, 
  

   exposed 
  to 
  the 
  full 
  glare 
  of 
  the 
  sun." 
  Sich 
  writes 
  : 
  "I 
  received 
  some 
  

   larvae 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Ovenden, 
  May 
  11th, 
  1904. 
  The 
  first 
  spun 
  up 
  May 
  

  

  