﻿392 
  

  

  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  Amblyptilia 
  cosmo- 
  

  

  DACTYLA. 
  

  

  First 
  instar 
  . 
  . 
  

   Second 
  instar. 
  . 
  

   Third 
  instar 
  . 
  . 
  

   Fourth 
  instar 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  Measured. 
  

  

  0'15mm. 
  

   0-24 
  „ 
  

   0-39 
  ,, 
  

   0-63 
  ,, 
  

  

  0-21mm. 
  

   0-36 
  ,, 
  

   0*57 
  ,, 
  

   0-99 
  ,, 
  

  

  Calculated. 
  

  

  0-14mm. 
  

   0-23 
  ,, 
  

   0-38 
  ,, 
  

   0-63 
  ,, 
  

  

  0-21mm. 
  

   0-36 
  „ 
  

   0-59 
  ,, 
  

   0-99 
  „ 
  

  

  These 
  are 
  all, 
  in 
  fact, 
  more 
  accordant 
  than 
  we 
  have 
  any 
  right 
  to 
  expect, 
  

   allowing 
  for 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  measurements 
  are 
  made 
  by 
  taking 
  nearest 
  

   mm. 
  on 
  camera 
  outlines, 
  made 
  from 
  specimens 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  heads 
  (on 
  

   microscopic 
  slides) 
  are 
  often 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  distorted. 
  In 
  late 
  May, 
  the 
  

   larvae 
  are 
  first 
  to 
  be 
  noticed 
  on 
  the 
  young 
  leaves, 
  near 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  a 
  

   shoot, 
  but 
  they 
  grow 
  rapidly, 
  and 
  soon 
  spread 
  over 
  the 
  plant, 
  and, 
  by 
  

   mid-June, 
  are 
  often 
  fullgrown 
  ; 
  at 
  that 
  time, 
  however, 
  there 
  is 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  various 
  larvae, 
  and 
  some 
  are 
  not 
  full- 
  

   fed 
  till 
  well 
  towards 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  month, 
  or 
  even 
  until 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   July 
  ; 
  they 
  feed, 
  in 
  their 
  later 
  stadia, 
  fully 
  exposed, 
  and, 
  on 
  a 
  warm 
  

   sunny 
  afternoon 
  in 
  mid-June, 
  may 
  usually 
  be 
  taken 
  in 
  considerable 
  

   numbers, 
  their 
  colour, 
  however, 
  harmonising 
  remarkably 
  well 
  with 
  the 
  

   tint 
  of 
  the 
  foliage 
  of 
  their 
  foodplants. 
  Bankes 
  notes 
  that, 
  "when 
  very 
  

   young, 
  they 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  tenderest 
  leaves 
  in 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  the 
  shoot, 
  and 
  

   afterwards 
  generally 
  on 
  the 
  more 
  expanded 
  leaves 
  of 
  Ononis 
  arvensis, 
  

   either 
  eating 
  out 
  portions 
  of 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  margins 
  inwards, 
  or 
  some- 
  

   times 
  gnawing 
  holes 
  through 
  them 
  ; 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  almost 
  any 
  

   position 
  on 
  the 
  plant. 
  The 
  well-grown 
  larva, 
  in 
  nature 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  

   confinement, 
  is 
  also 
  very 
  fond 
  of 
  biting 
  through 
  the 
  stout 
  shoot-stalk 
  

   (completely 
  detaching 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  it) 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  

   lower 
  remaining 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  stalk 
  itself. 
  Sitting 
  upright 
  along 
  this, 
  

   it 
  devours 
  its 
  whole 
  substance, 
  rind 
  and 
  all, 
  from 
  above 
  downwards 
  for 
  

   a 
  short 
  distance, 
  and 
  then, 
  apparently, 
  often 
  moves 
  on 
  to 
  attack 
  a 
  fresh 
  

   stem 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  tried 
  the 
  larvae 
  with 
  growing 
  plants, 
  

   but 
  have 
  found 
  them 
  extremely 
  difficult 
  to 
  rear 
  indoors 
  on 
  cut 
  shoots 
  of 
  

   Ononis, 
  however 
  often 
  renewed, 
  hardly 
  any, 
  out 
  of 
  large 
  numbers, 
  except 
  

   those 
  almost 
  f 
  ullf 
  ed 
  when 
  collected, 
  having 
  reached 
  the 
  pupal 
  state, 
  all 
  the 
  

   rest 
  gradually 
  pining 
  away 
  and 
  dying. 
  Perhaps 
  they 
  require 
  sunshine, 
  or, 
  

   when 
  collected 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  sea, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  all 
  my 
  larvae, 
  

   it 
  may 
  be 
  essential 
  to 
  their 
  welfare 
  that 
  their 
  food, 
  if 
  gathered 
  inland, 
  

   should 
  be 
  sprayed 
  with 
  salt 
  water." 
  Chapman 
  writes 
  {in 
  litt.): 
  " 
  The 
  

   fashion 
  the 
  larva 
  has 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  instar 
  of 
  gnawing 
  through 
  the 
  stem 
  a 
  

   little 
  below 
  the 
  top, 
  or 
  occasionally 
  the 
  petiole 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  leaf, 
  is 
  

   precisely 
  like 
  that 
  described 
  about 
  Capperia 
  heteroclactyla 
  on 
  Teucriwu. 
  

   It 
  seems 
  to 
  do 
  much 
  imbibition 
  of 
  sap, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  eating. 
  My 
  experi- 
  

   ence 
  of 
  the 
  larva 
  in 
  confinement 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  reported 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Bankes. 
  I 
  think 
  the 
  plant 
  has 
  much 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  this; 
  it 
  is 
  one 
  that 
  

   withers 
  rapidly, 
  and 
  must 
  become 
  unwholesome 
  if 
  kept 
  succulent 
  

   artificially. 
  I 
  brought 
  home 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  closely 
  allied 
  31. 
  

   fauna 
  this 
  spring 
  (1906). 
  One 
  lot 
  had 
  already 
  all 
  but 
  perished, 
  another 
  

   was 
  beginning 
  to 
  suffer, 
  but 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  recovered, 
  and 
  some 
  

   finally 
  pupated 
  satisfactorily 
  on 
  being 
  put 
  on 
  a 
  growing 
  plant 
  of 
  

   Ononis 
  arvensis, 
  though 
  its 
  foodplant 
  is 
  another 
  species, 
  very 
  like 
  

  

  