46 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



The larvae should be searched for early (especially in a recognised 

 early season) as many of them appear to wander away to pupate. 



In late June, carefully search the seedpods of Cardamine pratensis, 

 Sisymbrium officinale, garden rocket, etc., for larvae of Euchlo'e 

 cardamines. Particularly examine those where the growth of the 

 seedpod seems irregular, which will be owing to the feeding of the 

 larvae, and the latter will be found closely imitating the growth there. 

 Immigrant 5 s of Pontia daplidice lay their eggs occasionally, in 

 June, on Reseda luteola, on which the larvae feed in July, producing 

 imagines in August or September. [The species is quite unable to 

 winter in our climate.] 



In June (and August) the larvae of Pieris napi m^y sometimes be 

 found in numbers feeding on Nasturtium officinale and Barbarea 

 vulgaris. They may also be found on Hesperis matronalis, etc. They 

 grow very rapidly, and are fullfed in early July, pupating during that 

 month, and emerging towards the end of July or in early August. 



July. — In July, the larvae of Nisoniades tages, no longer able to 

 hide within the little caves formed of the leaflets of Lotus corniculatus, 

 which they use when young, make longer ones, but their feeding soon 

 exposes their bodies partly to view. They repeatedly change their 

 habitations, always, however, by night, and are most retired in their 

 habits. They are fullfed at the end of the month, when they spin 

 silken hybernacula, in which they remain invisible, not pupating until 

 the following April or May. 



The young larvae of Resperia malvae are to be obtained, in July, on 

 Potentilla fragariastrum , P. reptans and Rub us fruticosus; the larvae 

 that are on bramble seem to be found chiefly on stunted bushes with 

 small leaves ; the large juicy leaves of strong bushes apparently 

 offer no temptation to the female. 



The larvae of H. malvae appear to choose the upper side of a leaf 

 on which to rest, and, stretched along the midrib, spin several silken 

 threads overhead for a covering, feeding therein by eating away the 

 upper part of the leaf. When a larva has cleared this, and made a 

 blotch of considerable extent, it repeats the work on another leaf. 

 The larger larva? pull down a second leaf over the first, fastening the 

 edges with silk, and these form a hollow in which they live, coming- 

 out therefrom occasionally to feed on the surrounding leaves. 



In July, the young larvae of Augiades sylvan us feed on cock's-foot- 

 grass, couch-grass, etc., resting in the middle of a blade and fastening- 

 its edges across with five or six distinct little ropes of white silk. 



The young larvae of Adopaea jiava {tliaumas) leave the eggs in late 

 July or early August, and spin little silken ropes across the blades of 

 grass ; but, although they feed until November before hybernation, 

 they are not then more than about 2mm. -3mm. in length, almost 

 the whole of the growth being done in the spring (Hellins). 



In the early part of July, collect the flower-heads of Anthyllu 

 vulneraria for larvae of Cwpido minima. They eat little holes through 

 the calyx and corolla so as to get into the flowers, when they feed on 

 the immature seed-vessels, leaving one floweret when cleared and 

 entering another. As they get older, their bodies cannot be wholly 

 contained in the corolla, and they may be then seen with the fronts of 

 their bodies thrust into the flowers, the hinder parts hanging out, but 



