THE RESTING HABITS OF BUTTERFLY LARVAE. 75 



the uppersurface of the leaf, upon the floor of which they have stretched 

 a silken carpet from side to side, each strand shorter than the last, so 

 as to make the edges curl towards each other, and sometimes to meet, 

 and thus form an open nest, e.g., the mere partial curling of a leaf to 

 conceal its sides is sufficient for the larva of Jasoniades glaucus during 

 its resting-periods, whilst that of Euphoeades troilus turns the leaf 

 completely over, so that the opposite edges touch, the larva resting 

 entirely concealed. 



Many other larvae that feed by day rest exposed during the periods 

 in which they take their meals. Of these, we have already noted (antea, 

 p. 72) Anthocaris belia and Euchloe cardamines, whilst the larvae of their 

 allies, Anthocari ssi in plonia and Euchloe euphenoides, have precisely similar 

 habits ; so also have the larvae of Pontia daplidice, Pieris rapae and P. 

 brassicae, although the larva of P. rapae is often found partly concealed 

 on cabbage, yet usually quite exposed on Tropaeolum or mignonette. The 

 larvae of P. brassicae rest in groups, fully exposed, usually side by side, 

 on the leaves or stems of their foodplants. P. brassicae appears to 

 take no steps to hide itself at all, and is, contrary to the other larvae 

 noted, conspicuous, its colour possibly being " warning " in the fullest 

 sense. The somewhat allied larvae of Gonepteryx rhamni and Colias 

 edusa, on the other hand, feed by day, rest fully exposed, yet are most 

 difficult to see, on account of their great similarity in colour, tint, etc., 

 to their resting-places. In searching for the former on Rhamnus 

 franyula, it is necessary that one should place oneself so that the sunlight 

 falls across the leaves examined, when the shadowed side of a larva 

 comes into view and discovers it; otherwise it so exactly resembles the 

 midrib along the centre of the leaf (where it rests), that it readily escapes 

 notice. It may be here remarked that some Satyrid larvae trust, like 

 most of those of the Pierids, to their similarity to their foodplant to 

 escape notice, feeding like them by day and remaining throughout the 

 periods between one meal and another on the foodplant, fully exposed in 

 the sunlight; such are the larvae of Pararge meyaera, Coenonympha 

 dories, etc. 



Whether the larvae of the Kuralids (Theclids) are, on the whole, clay- 

 feeders that hide during the time that elapses from one meal to another 

 on the underside of leaves, or largely night-feeders, is not clearly known. 

 We have already recorded (antea, p. 72) the former to be the case with 

 the larva of Ruralis betulae, and we believe it to be so with the larvae 

 of Strymon (Thecla) pruni and S. w-album, whilst Powell notes (in litt.) : 

 " I believe the larvae of Thecla aesculi and T. acaciae to be day-feeders, 

 but cannot say that they are not also night-feeders ; they rest under 

 the leaves which they resemble closely in colour. The larvae of Thestor 

 ballus feed by day among the leaf-buds and flowers of Antliyllis 

 tetraphylla, Lotus ornithopodioides and Bonjeania hirsuta, whilst those of 

 Lampides boeticus hide and feed in flowers and flower-buds of Medicayo 

 sativa and other leguminous plants, and those of Lampides telicanus 

 also rest practically in their feeding-places in the flowers of Lythrum 

 salicaria,''' etc. 



We have already mentioned (supra) the case of the larvae of 

 a Papilionid, Euphoeades troilus, that enclose themselves in the folded 

 leaf of Benzoni odoriferum, during the periods of rest between a meal 

 and the following one. We have also remarked (antea, p. 54) the 

 habit of the larvae of Pyrameis atalanta and P. cardui to remain in 



