﻿502 
  

  

  BKITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  and 
  a 
  larva 
  is 
  probably 
  easily 
  overlooked 
  by 
  its 
  close 
  assimilation 
  to 
  the 
  

   plant. 
  The 
  larva 
  taken 
  were, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  in 
  their 
  last 
  skins, 
  and 
  

   their 
  measure 
  was 
  7mm., 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  or 
  well-stretched 
  one 
  8mm. 
  long. 
  

   Several 
  were, 
  however, 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  skin, 
  and 
  one 
  so 
  small 
  that 
  I 
  

   took 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  antepenultimate. 
  This 
  was 
  probably 
  erroneous. 
  

   The 
  following 
  day, 
  June 
  1st, 
  several 
  fixed 
  themselves 
  for 
  pupation, 
  

   etc. 
  Summer 
  larvae 
  — 
  June 
  2Qth-28th, 
  1905 
  : 
  Eight 
  larvae 
  hatched 
  

   from 
  eggs 
  received 
  from 
  Mr. 
  South, 
  and 
  were 
  placed, 
  each 
  on 
  a 
  plant 
  

   of 
  Drosera, 
  on 
  petioles 
  low 
  down, 
  in 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  they 
  wanted 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  

   the 
  central 
  bud. 
  June 
  2,9th 
  : 
  Four 
  of 
  these 
  larvae 
  are 
  now 
  easily 
  seen, 
  in 
  

   the 
  centre 
  of 
  a 
  leaf, 
  leisurely 
  eating 
  the 
  very 
  short-stemmed 
  hairs 
  and 
  

   glands 
  that 
  occupy 
  that 
  position 
  ; 
  one 
  has 
  already 
  cleared 
  a 
  little 
  

   circle 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  his 
  whole 
  length 
  in 
  diameter. 
  The 
  intestinal 
  

   contents 
  look 
  dark. 
  One 
  concludes 
  that 
  these 
  eggs 
  are 
  most 
  naturally 
  

   placed 
  that 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  stem 
  of 
  the 
  glands 
  at 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  a 
  leaf. 
  One 
  

   observes 
  also 
  that 
  the 
  Drosera 
  is 
  infested 
  by 
  an 
  Aphis. 
  This 
  is 
  of 
  

   interest, 
  as 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  supposed 
  immunity 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  from 
  insect 
  

   attack, 
  due 
  to 
  its 
  insectivorous 
  habit. 
  Such 
  immunity 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  

   be 
  a 
  fiction. 
  July 
  2nd 
  : 
  These 
  larvae 
  clear 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  of 
  the 
  

   short 
  stems 
  and 
  glands 
  that 
  occur 
  in 
  that 
  position, 
  leaving 
  the 
  longer 
  

   marginal 
  ones 
  alone 
  ; 
  the 
  little 
  larva 
  itself, 
  even 
  when 
  grown 
  a 
  little, 
  

   is 
  very 
  inconspicuous 
  and 
  difficult 
  to 
  find. 
  With 
  a 
  lens, 
  the 
  cleared 
  

   central 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  leaf, 
  with 
  red 
  frass 
  scattered 
  over 
  it, 
  is 
  easily 
  

   seen 
  ; 
  but, 
  without 
  a 
  lens, 
  the 
  red 
  frass 
  gives 
  very 
  nearly 
  the 
  same 
  tone 
  

   to 
  the 
  leaf 
  as 
  the 
  glands 
  do, 
  so 
  that, 
  except 
  by 
  very 
  close 
  scrutiny, 
  

   nothing 
  unusual 
  presents 
  itself. 
  This 
  morning 
  one 
  larva 
  is 
  found 
  to 
  

   have 
  changed 
  its 
  skin, 
  and 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  eating 
  the 
  cast 
  skin. 
  The 
  

   moult 
  occurred 
  near 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  leaf, 
  where 
  the 
  feeding 
  was 
  done 
  ; 
  

   the 
  only 
  protection 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  web, 
  tent, 
  or 
  any 
  other 
  shelter, 
  being 
  a 
  few 
  

   threads 
  spun 
  across 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  the 
  adjacent 
  glands, 
  making 
  a 
  flimsy, 
  

   and 
  almost 
  invisible, 
  cover. 
  The 
  larva 
  has 
  a, 
  relatively, 
  rather 
  large 
  

   head, 
  and 
  the 
  hairs 
  are 
  about 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  larva 
  is 
  thick, 
  and 
  look 
  

   dense 
  and 
  crowded 
  together. 
  The 
  larva 
  is 
  still 
  pale 
  and 
  transparent- 
  

   looking, 
  but 
  the 
  eye-patch 
  is 
  densely 
  black, 
  the 
  dorsal 
  tubercles 
  

   (not 
  the 
  hairs) 
  are 
  dark, 
  and 
  the 
  dorsum 
  has 
  a 
  pale 
  ruddy 
  tint; 
  

   the 
  longer 
  hairs 
  are 
  slightly 
  clubbed 
  at 
  their 
  tips. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  

   skin, 
  the 
  larva 
  grows 
  a 
  good 
  deal, 
  but 
  remains 
  very 
  colourless, 
  

   or 
  rather 
  transparent, 
  the 
  dark 
  intestinal 
  contents 
  being 
  conspicuous, 
  

   and 
  the 
  only 
  coloration 
  being 
  a 
  denser 
  white 
  round 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  the 
  

   dorsal 
  tubercles. 
  July 
  3rd: 
  Two 
  larvae 
  (of 
  the 
  eight 
  that 
  hatched 
  

   from 
  Mr. 
  South's 
  eggs), 
  that 
  had 
  gone 
  a-missing, 
  are 
  now 
  seen 
  to 
  have 
  

   hidden 
  themselves, 
  and 
  still 
  are 
  in 
  unopened 
  leaves 
  amongst 
  the 
  

   undeveloped 
  glandular 
  hairs, 
  with 
  which 
  their 
  interiors 
  are 
  full. 
  

   The 
  leaves 
  are 
  now 
  slightly 
  opened, 
  and 
  frass 
  is 
  very 
  evident. 
  These 
  

   larvae, 
  therefore, 
  went 
  into 
  incompletely-expanded 
  leaves 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  

   eat 
  the 
  glands 
  ; 
  these 
  were 
  not, 
  however, 
  probably 
  functionally 
  active 
  

   at 
  this 
  stage. 
  July 
  8th 
  : 
  A 
  small 
  larva 
  (very 
  young 
  in 
  second 
  skin) 
  

   had 
  wandered 
  off 
  in 
  the 
  test-tube, 
  in 
  which 
  I 
  had 
  put 
  it 
  for 
  observation, 
  

   and 
  was 
  probably 
  hungry. 
  I 
  put 
  him 
  on 
  the 
  petiole 
  near 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  

   a 
  vigorous 
  leaf, 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  red 
  glands 
  had 
  each 
  a 
  large 
  globule 
  of 
  

   gum. 
  He 
  walked 
  very 
  deliberately 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  (upper 
  side), 
  

   apparently 
  spinning 
  a 
  web, 
  and 
  also 
  searching 
  carefully 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  

   side 
  ; 
  at 
  length 
  he 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  gland 
  -hairs, 
  which, 
  next 
  the 
  petiole, 
  

  

  