40 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



and Holland says that, " examined under a powerful microscope, this 

 adhering matter is seen to present a peculiar shining appearance, and 

 to thickly cover the hairs with minute granulations, as if each hair had 

 been dipped in some substance like a solution of sugar or salt, and had 

 then been dried." There appears to be no doubt of its aphidivorous 

 habits. Holland further states that he believes Lachnocnema and 

 Euliphyra to have similar carnivorous habits. 



CHAPTER XL 



COLLECTING BUTTERFLY LABVU. 



The larvae of some butterflies are, in certain seasons, from the 

 gardener's point of view, too abundant. Such is the case with the 

 larvae of Pieris brassicae and P. rapae, which are occasionally sufficiently 

 numerous to do considerable damage to the cabbage crops. The larvae 

 of Aglais urticae and Vanessa io are gregarious on nettles, the former 

 usually abundant enough in their thickly populated silk nests, the 

 latter much more irregular in their appearance. Other gregarious 

 larvas are Melitaea aurinia and M . cinxia, but, although the black spiny 

 larvae of the former can usually be taken in the haunts of the species, 

 those of the latter are to be found only in a few places in the Isle of 

 Wight, it having been almost exterminated as a British insect. The 

 larvae of Papilio machaon can only be sought with success in their local 

 haunts in the fens of Cambridgeshire and the Norfolk Broads ; and those of 

 Strymon (Thecla) pruni in the woods of Huntingdonshire. In the southern 

 counties, the larvae of Gonepteryx rhamni can be readily found on 

 buckthorn, and those of Euchlo'e cardamines on Cardamine protends and 

 Alliaria officinalis. The larva of Apatura iris is confined to sallow in woods, 

 and that of Limenitis sibylla to honeysuckle, although these, especially 

 the former, are to be obtained more frequently by beating than by 

 searching. Beating is also pursued for larvas of Bithys (Zephyrus) querciis 

 on oak, Ruralis betulae on blackthorn, an&Strymon (Thecla) w-album on 

 elm. Sweeping at night, with a strong sweep-net, by the grassy sides 

 of woods, hedges, the sheltered hollows of chalk-hill slopes, etc., will 

 produce larvae of the Satyrids, and occasionally of the Argynnids and 

 Urbicolids, in spite of the fact that the latter live in silken nests, whilst 

 grassy hollows on the mountain-sides will give larvae of Erebia aethiops, 

 and, in its haunts, the local Melampias epiphron. We have already dealt 

 with this phase of our subject, at length, in Practical Hints for the Field 

 Lepidopterist, in which the collecting work to be carried out each month, 

 for lepidoptera in all stages, is set out at considerable length. The 

 following are suggestions of work that can be done in the various 

 months, in collecting butterfly larvae, whilst the reader can, by a 

 careful study of the systematic part of our work, especially of the 

 paragraphs " Habits of Larva," etc., gather much more information 

 similar to the following. 



February and March. — The larvae of Rumicia (Chrysophanus) phlaeas 

 are sometimes very common on Rumex acctosa in February and March ; 

 they are difficult to see, as their bodies are about the same size as, and 



