52 HYDR.EC1A MICACEA. 



At the beginning of July the larva had attained an 

 inch and three-eighths in length, and had become 

 moderately stout in proportion, having meanwhile 

 gradually grown paler on the back, and by the 10th of 

 the month the upper and under surfaces were both 

 alike of a deep smoky dull flesh-colour, the dorsal pul- 

 sating vessel just visible as a faintly darker stripe of 

 the same ; the warts, however, still dark brown, and the 

 head and plates as before described. 



Hitherto the larva had fed well on both species of 

 Equisetum, but it now ceased eating, and began exca- 

 vating a hole in the earth at the side of its pot, in 

 which, by the 15th, it had changed to a light ochreous- 

 brown pupa, but without forming any cocoon ! 



The pupa was three-quarters of an inch long, mode- 

 rately stout, presenting no unusual peculiarity of form, 

 but ending in an anal spike, which was inserted in the 

 earth, and on the last two segments were a few fine 

 short bristles pointing backwards. The moth emerged 

 on the 14th of August. 



Soon after the above larva came into my possession 

 I identified it with my figure of one sent to me by Mr. 

 Steele, of Congleton, on the 10th July, 1866 (which 

 proved to be infested with Microg aster alvearius), and 

 also of some others in May, 1867, then quite small, and 

 all of them feeding in the roots of dock, but which I un- 

 fortunately failed to rear to the imago state. (W. B., 

 10, 69; E.M.M. VI, 164, 12, 69.) 



Xylophasia lithoxylea. 



Plate LXIII, fig. 1. 



On the 10th of October, 1882, I received a very 

 young Noctuid larva from the Rev. John Hellins, 

 which he had beaten out from a bank. It looked to 

 me at this time to be a very young example of Lujperina 

 testacea, soon to moult, and its finely wrinkled skin and 



