68 BEITISH BUTTEKFLIES. 



whole thickness of the leaf. The mode of feeding of the young larva 

 of Polyommatus icarus is almost identical ; it rests upon the underside 

 of a leaf of Lotus corniculatus, Omithopus perpusillus, etc., and mines 

 out the soft tissue so as to cause the appearance of little, pale, 

 transparent blotches, and this continues until long after feeding 

 re-commences in the spring. The larva of P. donzelii feeds on Geranium 

 pratense, the young larvae forcing a way into the centre of the buds, 

 where they remain hidden, eating small holes in the parenchyma, and,, 

 whilst young, finding great trouble to move about on the hairy leaves ; 

 when approaching maturity, they remain very sluggish, only shifting 

 their position when requiring food, and show a great predilection in 

 confinement for boring out the fleshy portions of the stalk, forcing 

 their heads beneath the epidermis and consuming the soft portion, 

 causing the leaf to droop and die. The larvae of Tarucus theophrastus 

 are noted by Graves as making furrows, sometimes an inch in length, 

 on the underside of a leaf of a species of Zizyphns, on which they 

 feed in Egypt. 



It would appear that many larvae of the more generalised Plebeiid 

 species only adopt the mining-habit when young, thus reminding one 

 of the Ruralid habit (antea, pp. 62, 64), giving it up entirely later and 

 eating throughout the leaf -thickness, e.g., Plebeius scudderii, Agriades 

 bellargus, etc., and it may be noted that the larva of Celastrina argiolus, 

 which, on a flower-bud of ivy, bramble, heath, etc., or young green 

 berry of buckthorn, euonymus, dogwood, or holly, inserts its head and 

 long neck, in order to clear out the contents, follows up the usual 

 family-habit on leaves, mining out the soft cellular tissue of holly, ivy, or 

 vaccinium leaves when young, but eating through the whole thickness of a 

 young leaf when almost adult ; Scudder notes that some he reared in 

 confinement made little circular holes from the upper surface of the 

 leaf. Lyman observes {Can. Ent., 1902, p. 127) that the larva of 

 Plebeius scudderii (a species allied to P. aegon) eats away the 

 parenchyma of the leaf of Lupi?ius perennis, leaving the membrane, as 

 described by Scudder, when young, but, when older, it eats holes in 

 the leaves, sometimes away from, and sometimes at, the edges thereof. 

 Of the larva of iSomiades lygdamas (a species allied to N. cyllarus) 

 Edwards notes (Can. Ent., 1892, pp. 109-110) that, when young, it 

 feeds on the tender leaves and flower-buds of Yicia carolinensis, but, as 

 the larvae grow older, they feed on the leaves and stems, eating the latter 

 square off. Mathew observes (Trans. Ent. Soc. Loud., 1888, p. 151) 

 that the larva of Hylochila (Lycaena) heathi, which he found in 

 February, 1885, near Sydney, N.S.W., on a point jutting out into 

 Botany Bay, has precisely similar habits to many species already 

 noted, for, the examples he found were feeding upon the flowers, 

 flower-buds, and young leaves of Westringia rosin arini folia, in the 

 latter case eating holes in the centre of the leaf, from beneath, but not 

 penetrating through the upper cuticle. 



The young larvae of Eve res comynias are said by Edwards to feed 

 on the tender leaves of various leguminous plants, although, as they 

 become larger, they seem to feed exclusively on the calyces of the 

 flowerets, curving themselves to the surface of the clover, and inserting 

 the head therein. Those of our European E. argiades, probably the same 

 species as the American, feed greedily on the seeds of Medicago 

 lupulinus, Lotus corniculatus, etc., eating through the pod, and 



