﻿424 
  

  

  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  feeding 
  is 
  clearly 
  very 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  Fredericina 
  calodactyla 
  

   (zetterstedtii) 
  , 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  a 
  more 
  "internal 
  feeding" 
  facies 
  than 
  that 
  

   larva, 
  except 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  fairly 
  well-developed 
  hairs. 
  I 
  thought 
  at 
  first 
  

   that 
  the 
  lethargy 
  might 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  approaching 
  pupation, 
  but 
  I 
  observed, 
  

   on 
  the 
  29th, 
  that 
  the 
  shortness 
  and 
  thickness 
  were 
  clearly 
  due 
  to 
  

   sulkiness, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  seen 
  later 
  to 
  crawl, 
  distinctly 
  more 
  stretched, 
  on 
  

   its 
  foodplant, 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  ensconced 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  nest, 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  

   enclosed 
  with 
  hairs 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  and 
  frass, 
  in 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  cocoon, 
  and 
  is 
  

   quite 
  invisible 
  (Chapman, 
  April 
  27th-29th, 
  1906). 
  On 
  June 
  4th, 
  1906, 
  

   I 
  spent 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  hours 
  on 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  chalk 
  downs 
  at 
  Reigate, 
  

   working 
  for 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  0. 
  parvidactyla. 
  Many 
  hundred 
  plants 
  of 
  

   H. 
  pilosella 
  were 
  scrutinised 
  ; 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  showed 
  the 
  central 
  

   upstanding 
  leaf 
  to 
  be 
  somewhat 
  limp, 
  and 
  it 
  came 
  away 
  readily 
  when 
  

   pulled. 
  On 
  looking 
  closely, 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  was 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  

   occupied 
  with 
  some 
  loose 
  hairs 
  of 
  the 
  plant, 
  and 
  some 
  traces 
  

   of 
  dark 
  frass 
  entangled 
  in 
  them 
  or 
  some 
  silk. 
  On 
  taking 
  the 
  

   plant 
  up, 
  and 
  pushing 
  aside 
  this 
  central 
  debris, 
  a 
  larval 
  tail 
  was 
  

   observed, 
  white, 
  with 
  a 
  dark 
  anal 
  plate. 
  Some 
  time 
  after, 
  a 
  plant 
  

   was 
  found 
  with 
  the 
  leaves 
  a 
  little 
  stunted, 
  and 
  with 
  yellowish 
  

   and 
  reddish 
  tinting, 
  and, 
  in 
  the 
  centre, 
  a 
  slight 
  dome 
  of 
  brown 
  

   frass, 
  apparently 
  spun 
  together, 
  which 
  included 
  in 
  its 
  level 
  a 
  flower-bud 
  

   (or 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  one). 
  This 
  covering 
  of 
  frass 
  was 
  about 
  6mm. 
  x 
  5mm., 
  

   the 
  bud 
  nearly 
  3mm. 
  across. 
  When 
  opened, 
  this 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  top 
  

   of 
  a 
  cocoon, 
  but 
  had 
  further 
  frass 
  packed 
  under 
  it, 
  over 
  a 
  burrow, 
  

   passing 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  root, 
  and 
  containing 
  a 
  larva, 
  which, 
  however, 
  

   afterwards 
  died. 
  The 
  search 
  revealed 
  nothing 
  further, 
  though 
  furnish- 
  

   ing 
  frequent 
  disappointment 
  in 
  plants 
  showing 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  various 
  

   accidents 
  and 
  injuries, 
  which 
  always 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  caused 
  by 
  something 
  

   that 
  was 
  not 
  parvidactyla. 
  The 
  larva 
  burrows 
  into 
  the 
  centre 
  or 
  

   pith 
  (?) 
  of 
  the 
  plant, 
  making 
  a 
  burrow 
  apparently 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  

   twice 
  its 
  own 
  length, 
  and 
  placing 
  the 
  frass 
  on 
  top, 
  with 
  the 
  displaced 
  

   hairs 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  (they 
  are 
  very 
  thickset 
  on 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  not 
  yet 
  

   expanded), 
  and 
  more 
  silk, 
  the 
  whole 
  being 
  very 
  inconspicuous 
  or 
  

   invisible, 
  probably 
  quite 
  so 
  until 
  the 
  larva 
  is 
  about 
  fullfed. 
  These 
  

   larvae 
  were 
  identical 
  with 
  that 
  found 
  at 
  Ste. 
  Maxime. 
  They 
  have, 
  to 
  

   an 
  extreme, 
  the 
  aspect 
  of 
  internal 
  feeders, 
  something 
  like 
  Hepialus, 
  as 
  

   if 
  a 
  set 
  of 
  whitish 
  fat-masses 
  lay 
  beneath 
  a 
  delicate 
  colourless 
  skin. 
  The 
  

   hairs 
  are 
  long 
  and 
  dark 
  (Chapman, 
  June 
  4th 
  , 
  1906) 
  . 
  Hof 
  mann 
  discovered 
  

   the 
  larva 
  on 
  June 
  2nd, 
  1897; 
  it 
  was 
  then 
  nearly 
  fullfed, 
  and 
  had 
  bored 
  

   deeply 
  into 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  a 
  plant 
  of 
  Hieracium 
  pilosella, 
  eating 
  out 
  this 
  

   right 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  root, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  small 
  leaflets 
  of 
  the 
  shoot 
  had 
  become 
  

   withered, 
  the 
  only 
  sign 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  larva. 
  [Frey 
  says 
  that 
  

   he 
  found 
  larvae 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  stem 
  of 
  Stachys 
  aljrina, 
  well 
  on 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  

   half 
  of 
  April, 
  although 
  Zeller 
  bred 
  it 
  from 
  Hieraciiun 
  pilosella 
  with 
  

   Oxyptilus 
  pilosellae. 
  Leech 
  sa) 
  s 
  that 
  the 
  larva 
  feeds, 
  in 
  April, 
  in 
  the 
  

   young 
  leaves 
  of 
  Stachys 
  alpina, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  in 
  the 
  heads 
  of 
  

   Marrubium. 
  This 
  is, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  merely 
  copied 
  from 
  other 
  authors 
  

   without 
  acknowledgment. 
  We 
  think 
  the 
  larva 
  found 
  by 
  Frey 
  certainly 
  

   belonged 
  to 
  another 
  species.] 
  

  

  Larva. 
  — 
  First 
  instar 
  (newly-hatched) 
  : 
  Orange-yellow 
  in 
  colour, 
  

   with 
  some 
  very 
  decided 
  orange 
  material 
  in 
  the 
  fore 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   alimentary 
  canal. 
  It 
  is 
  about 
  1mm. 
  long, 
  and 
  has 
  long 
  hairs. 
  The 
  

   head 
  is 
  black, 
  the 
  prothoracic 
  plate 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  colour 
  as 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  

   larva, 
  and 
  is 
  broad 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  and 
  narrow 
  at 
  the 
  ends. 
  The 
  

  

  