LITHOSIA PYGM^EOLA. 25 



LlTHOSIA PYGM^OLA. 



Plate XLI, fig. 6. 



On the 7th of June, 1862, Mr. Doubleday kindly 

 sent me the larva of this species. 



It was said to feed on lichens growing amongst 

 moss, but lived only a few days, as I could not find 

 any such lichen as the small portion of food which 

 accompanied it, and which had a very pungent saline 

 odour; it refused all other kinds of lichen and so 

 starved. 



It was short and rather thick, tapering a little 

 posteriorly ; brown on the back, with a thick black 

 dorsal line ; the subdorsal lines dark brown, and the 

 sides rather paler brown, with a dirty-white line along 

 the spiracles ; the tubercles with short brown hairs, 

 and the head black. (W. B. ; B.M.M. I, 48.) 



On the 10th of August, 1878, I received from Mr. 

 W. H. Tugwell a good number of eggs of this species 

 and a supply of the two species of lichen, on which 

 the larvae are known to feed. The eggs were all laid 

 loose. 



The shape of the egg is globular seen from above, 

 but having a considerable depression beneath, appa- 

 rently of a smooth surface, but really pitted so very 

 minutely that even with a strong lens this character 

 is scarcely appreciable. The colour is a very pale 

 salmon or flesh-colour and very glossy. Without under- 

 going any further change they began to hatch on the 

 evening of August 15th, and by the next morning 

 about twenty were hatched ; these and the remaining 

 eggs were then placed on two pots of lichens. 



The newly-hatched larva is very much the colour of 

 the egg ; it is rather stout, the head broad and large, 

 brown on the crown, whitish in front above the 

 mouth, which is brown ; there are faint internal sub- 

 dorsal lines of a brownish flesh-colour, extending as 

 far behind as the tenth segment on which they are 



