﻿478 
  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  until 
  after 
  hybernation, 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  end 
  towards 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  March 
  

   or 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  April, 
  the 
  larvae 
  usually 
  moulting 
  soon 
  after- 
  

   wards. 
  The 
  first 
  larvae 
  discovered 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  were 
  in 
  this 
  stage, 
  

   the 
  young 
  larvae 
  being 
  found 
  at 
  Delamere 
  Forest, 
  on 
  May 
  lst-2nd, 
  

   1867, 
  sitting 
  on 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  the 
  leaves, 
  having 
  just 
  (it 
  was 
  assumed) 
  

   concluded 
  their 
  first 
  moult. 
  A 
  week 
  later 
  they 
  were 
  more 
  difficult 
  

   to 
  find, 
  having 
  gone 
  down 
  the 
  stem 
  to 
  within 
  about 
  1-|- 
  inches 
  from 
  

   the 
  bottom, 
  where 
  they 
  had 
  eaten 
  the 
  stem 
  just 
  halfway 
  through, 
  

   causing 
  the 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  above 
  the 
  bitten 
  place 
  to 
  bear 
  down, 
  and 
  

   soon 
  to 
  become 
  half 
  dead 
  and 
  very 
  soft. 
  On 
  this 
  part 
  the 
  larva 
  now 
  feeds, 
  

   and, 
  as 
  it 
  ceases 
  to 
  grow, 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  plants 
  soon 
  overtop 
  it, 
  and 
  

   cover 
  it 
  up, 
  so 
  that 
  one 
  cannot 
  see 
  it 
  until 
  one 
  looks 
  well 
  for 
  it 
  under 
  

   the 
  other 
  plants 
  ; 
  this 
  dying 
  part 
  appears 
  to 
  afford 
  sufficient 
  food 
  for 
  a 
  

   single 
  larva, 
  and 
  to 
  accommodate 
  it 
  till 
  it 
  is 
  fullfed. 
  The 
  larva, 
  when 
  

   feeding, 
  still 
  attaches 
  itself 
  to 
  the 
  upperside 
  of 
  the 
  leaf, 
  but, 
  since 
  the 
  

   upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  is 
  inverted 
  (owing 
  to 
  the 
  stem 
  having 
  been 
  

   bitten 
  through), 
  it 
  is 
  effectually 
  protected 
  from 
  wet 
  (Greening). 
  In 
  

   the 
  spring, 
  the 
  larva 
  feeds 
  on 
  Teucrium 
  scorodonia, 
  gnawing 
  nearly 
  

   through 
  the 
  stem, 
  and 
  eating 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  withering 
  leaves 
  near 
  the 
  

   tip 
  of 
  the 
  shoot, 
  and 
  often 
  the 
  actual 
  heart 
  of 
  the 
  shoot. 
  It 
  moves 
  

   from 
  shoot 
  to 
  shoot, 
  treating 
  each 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  (Bankes). 
  

   Barrett 
  says 
  (Ent. 
  Mo. 
  Mag., 
  viii., 
  p. 
  155) 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  mode 
  of 
  life 
  of 
  

   this 
  larva 
  is 
  curious 
  ; 
  it 
  gnaws 
  a 
  deep 
  round 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   stem 
  of 
  a 
  young 
  shoot 
  of 
  Teucrium 
  scorodonia, 
  stopping 
  the 
  flow 
  of 
  sap, 
  

   and, 
  causing 
  it 
  to 
  droop, 
  then 
  crawls 
  slowly 
  to 
  the 
  heart, 
  and 
  eats 
  

   portions 
  of 
  the 
  younger 
  leaves, 
  biting 
  them 
  clean 
  through 
  like 
  ordinary 
  

   larvae, 
  and 
  never, 
  apparently, 
  gnawing 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  like 
  some 
  

   of 
  its 
  congeners, 
  nor 
  entering 
  the 
  shoot 
  like 
  others; 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  confine 
  

   itself 
  to 
  one 
  shoot, 
  but, 
  after 
  eating 
  bits 
  of 
  several 
  leaves, 
  goes 
  to 
  

   another, 
  which 
  it 
  causes 
  to 
  droop 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  ; 
  in 
  wet 
  weather 
  

   the 
  shoots 
  will 
  recover 
  and 
  raise 
  themselves, 
  but, 
  if 
  the 
  sun 
  is 
  hot, 
  and 
  

   the 
  weather 
  dry, 
  they 
  wither, 
  and 
  serve 
  as 
  signal 
  flags 
  to 
  show 
  where 
  

   a 
  larva 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found. 
  In 
  confinement, 
  the 
  larva 
  makes 
  no 
  attempt 
  to 
  

   wither 
  the 
  shoot, 
  but 
  eats 
  the 
  young 
  and 
  fullgrown 
  leaves 
  indifferently. 
  

   Its 
  principal 
  object 
  is, 
  evidently, 
  shelter 
  from 
  the 
  sun, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  so 
  

   sluggish 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  hardly 
  ever 
  be 
  seen 
  to 
  move 
  when 
  light 
  is 
  upon 
  it. 
  

   It 
  is 
  liable 
  to 
  a 
  disease 
  which 
  causes 
  it 
  to 
  become 
  distended, 
  and 
  to 
  die, 
  

   w 
  7 
  hen 
  it 
  looks 
  like 
  a 
  little 
  hairy 
  bladder." 
  On 
  April 
  25th, 
  1904, 
  Bankes 
  

   found 
  the 
  larvae 
  scarce 
  in 
  the 
  Isle 
  of 
  Purbeck, 
  but 
  those 
  he 
  found 
  were, 
  

   on 
  April 
  26th, 
  1904, 
  sent 
  to 
  us, 
  feeding 
  on 
  T. 
  scorodonia. 
  Each 
  of 
  the 
  

   shoots 
  of 
  Teucrium 
  attacked 
  had 
  the 
  central 
  bud 
  cleared 
  completely 
  out, 
  

   and 
  the 
  remaining 
  outer 
  leaves 
  bent 
  in 
  towards 
  each 
  other, 
  making 
  a 
  

   sort 
  of 
  tent, 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  larvae 
  still 
  remained. 
  Scattered 
  

   through 
  this 
  chamber 
  was 
  a 
  considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  loose 
  frass. 
  The 
  

   larvae 
  hang 
  readily 
  by 
  a 
  thread 
  if 
  disturbed, 
  or 
  wriggle 
  actively 
  to 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  where 
  they 
  remain 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  comparatively 
  still. 
  We 
  have 
  

   elsewhere 
  mentioned 
  that 
  the 
  larva 
  stretches 
  its 
  anal 
  legs 
  out 
  behind 
  

   posteriorly, 
  and 
  uses 
  them 
  as 
  pincers 
  to 
  take 
  hold 
  of, 
  and 
  throw 
  to 
  some 
  

   distance, 
  the 
  pellets 
  of 
  frass 
  (April 
  27th, 
  1904). 
  In 
  confinement, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  the 
  larvae 
  eat 
  out 
  pieces 
  of 
  leaf 
  somewhat 
  irregularly, 
  and 
  appar- 
  

   ently 
  from 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  leaf. 
  The 
  resemblance 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  larvae 
  

   to 
  bent 
  pieces 
  of 
  the 
  leaf-stalk 
  is 
  sometimes 
  very 
  striking 
  (Tutt). 
  By 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  May 
  and 
  early 
  June 
  the 
  larvae 
  are 
  fullfed, 
  although, 
  in 
  some 
  

  

  