APAMEA OPHIOGRAMMA. 93 



Apamea OPHIOGRAMMA. 



On July 14th, 1878, I received from the Rev. John 

 Hellins a cluster of about nine eggs of ophiogramma, 

 which had been sent to him the day before by Mr. B. 

 A. Bower, of Langley, Eltham Road, Lee. The shape 

 of the egg is roundish, but rather flattened, much like 

 a Gouda cheese, but having a depression beneath, the 

 surface very finely ribbed and reticulated, in colour of 

 very pale, watery drab tint, and very glistening. On 

 the 21st they changed colour to a light drab, with a 

 darker drab spot showing through a part of the shell. 

 In the morning of the 23rd two eggs hatched, having 

 become of a pinkish-grey just before ; the next day 

 three more hatched. 



The newly hatched larva is of a pale drab colour, 

 with pinkish-grey bands across most of the middle 

 segments of the body ; the head, the plate on the 

 second segment, and that on the anal segment brown. 

 After trying them with several grasses I found on the 

 29th of July that the larvse had eaten only of Phalaris 

 arundinacea, attacking it lengthwise and eating little 

 channels between the fibres, quite through the sub- 

 stance of the leaf, the larva then being whitish, the 

 head and plates as before. 



On August 9th the larva? had grown a little, but 

 were still very slender and pale in colour, the head 

 and plate on the second segment brown, the plate on 

 segment 13 and two transverse dots on the front of 

 that segment of the same colour ; the body limpid and 

 watery-looking, tinged on the back with a faint brown- 

 ish-greenish, and showing a subdorsal paler line on 

 each side ; the belly almost colourless. 



August 15th I had the misfortune to kill one larva 

 and to find that only two were left, both about to 

 moult and much browner than before. On the 19th, 

 whilst changing food, I had the misfortune to kill 

 another while searching for it. 



