176 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



great speed, and quickly retreating when an attempt was made to capture 

 it ; several others were found later, some under a piece of very dry cow- 

 dung. . . . Freyer's drawing, he says, seems to be an accurate one of 

 this species, and his failure to rear it was probably due to his attempt- 

 ing to feed it on Coronilla varia instead of grass, whilst Hubner's larva 

 described under this name is probably erroneously referred to this species. 

 The larva is only apparently lazy, for, before its final metamorphosis, 

 or earlier if taken out of its tube, as well as in nature, when feeding, its 

 movements are remarkably rapid. The larva leaves the feeding-tubes 

 when f ullgrown and makes a special puparium in which to undergo its 

 final metamorphosis (Staudinger). [Riihl's remark, based on that of 

 earlier authors, that the larva lives in a tent formed of the leaves of 

 Coronilla varia, is possibly altogether inaccurate.] Wocke found the 

 larvas commonly in Silesia in tubiform dwellings in the tufts of Festuca 

 ovina. See also antea, p. 171. 



Ontogeny of larva. — Ifirst instar (April 1st, 1901): 2mm. in 

 length. The head proportionately large, the body swollen at the 

 middle, attenuated at both ends, but mostly so on the prothorax, which 

 is furnished with a dark brown shining collar. It is wrinkled 

 transversely and lobed laterally. The entire body is of a rich deep 

 straw-yellow, which becomes paler after feeding ; on each side are four 

 longitudinal rows of very minute knobbed points all of about equal 

 size ; the first and second row T s are dorsal and subdorsal, the third and 

 fourth are supraspiracular and subspiracular ; except those forming the 

 latter row, all the points are directed forwards, those on the anal 

 segment are longer and only slightly clubbed ; along the lateral region, 

 including the claspers, are a number of minute spines pointing down- 

 wards ; all the points and spines are white and glassy, with dark bases ; the 

 entire surface is granular; the head shining black, granulated, bearing a 

 number of tiny whitish spines. The mouthparts are brown ; the legs 

 and claspers the same colour as the body. Just before the first moult 

 it measures 4mm., and the colour is the same as when first hatched. 

 Second instar (May 2nd) : Soon after the first moult the colour along 

 the dorsal surface has a decidedly greenish tinge ; the rest of the body 

 pale straw-yellow. It is more thickly sprinkled with minute white 

 glassy angulated knobbed points with black bases, and on the dorsal 

 surface of each segment are two shining black spiracular-like rings, and 

 another just above the true spiracle, also on the meso- and metathorax 

 are two larger ones precisely like spiracles ; all these, as well as the 

 spiracles, are black. The head is similar to that of previous stage. The 

 prothorax, which is freely retractile, has the anterior half, which is the 

 elastic portion, of a lilac-flesh colour, the posterior half having a shining 

 black band encircling the upper half. Shortly before the second moult 

 it measures 7mm. Third instar (May 28th): The anterior segments, 

 especially the prothorax, much smaller than the rest of the body, the latter 

 being considerably swollen about the middle ; the anal segment has the 

 dorsal surface speckled with brown. Shortly before the third moult 

 (when about seventy days old) the larva measures, when resting, about 

 9*5mm. The general colour is pale greyish -green, but some are of a 

 decidedly ochreous hue ; in all other respects they are precisely similar 

 to previous stage. Fourth instar (June 14th) : The whole of the 

 colouring of the body is of a dull olive-green, slightly paler on the 

 ventral surface, including the claspers; the legs are black and shining. 



