94 APAMEA OPHIOGRAMMA. 



The Phalaris I had potted continuing to wither, I 

 potted some of the garden striped variety, and put on 

 it the one remaining larva on the 23rd August, which 

 soon ate its way into the main stem by the axil of a 

 leaf. At this time the larva was a quarter of an inch 

 long, very slender, and transparent greenish, with 

 brown marbling on back and sides, forming a broad 

 transverse band across each segment, through which 

 ran the dorsal and subdorsal paler lines of greenish ; 

 the head and plates brown as before. (W B., Note 

 Book III, 243.) 



Apamea fibrosa. 

 Plate LXVII, fig. 4. 



After fruitless researches at various times during a 

 quarter of a century by many skilful collectors 

 desirous to find the larva of this species — reputed to 

 be abundant in fens and similar places — my hope of 

 obtaining it had almost died out, but revived towards 

 the end of last year with encouragement from Mr. W. 

 H. B. Fletcher, when he made known to me that very 

 strenuous efforts had been devoted to it, and would 

 be continued until the mystery of its habitat was 

 cleared up. 



The success that crowns perseverance has in this 

 case been happily exemplified by Mr. Albert Houghton, 

 of Wicken, who deserves great credit for his praise- 

 worthy efforts in bringing this larva to light, after it 

 had so completely baffled all who had before searched 

 for it in this country. 



Without questioning the accuracy of Treitschke,* 



* Treitschke's authority for this statement is thus given (v, 2, 332) : — 

 " According to the manuscript journal of a worthy entomologist, which 

 contains several precious observations, the writer found at the begin- 

 ning of June, in Iris pseudacorus, a larva which had quite eaten away 

 the flower-stem. The larva was an inch and a half long, changed to a 

 pupa within the plant, and produced the moth, above described, at the 

 end of June." 



