M1ANA FASOIUNOULA. 99 



MlANA FASCIUNOULA. 



Plate LXVIII, fig. 2. 



For many years this larva eluded all my attempts 

 to find it, until I was befriended by the chance visit of 

 a female moth to a small pot of Aira cxspitosa, which 

 for two years or more had been standing in an upper 

 window, generally open in fine weather. On this 

 grass, some time in 1874, she was obliging enough to 

 deposit an egg, and in no other way could my good 

 luck have occurred, as the pot of grass had not been 

 used for anything during the year, but was kept in 

 reserve against the possibility of being wanted at any 

 time. 



Whilst watering the grass on the 23rd of April, 

 1875, 1 was surprised to see some of the blades much 

 eaten, apparently by a Lepidopterous larva. This set 

 me searching, and at length I detected the larva cun- 

 ningly hidden in the dry sheath of a stem, which was 

 drawn round it with a few threads just at the axil of 

 a green blade, the greater part of the grass being dry. 

 I saw at once this larva was that of a Miana, but one 

 I had not before seen, and as it seemed nearly full-fed, 

 I figured it next day, and tended it carefully. 



It continued to feed very well til) the 1st of May, 

 and on the 2nd, when about to supply earth to its 

 cage, I found it had already spun itself up in a light 

 silken cocoon, under three pieces of the grass, and 

 attached firmly to the bottom of the cage. The moth, 

 a male, emerged on June 2nd. 



The length of the larva was nearly seven -eighths of 

 an inch ; it was slender and cylindrical, though tapering 

 from the third segment to the head, which was small 

 and rather flattened, tapering also a little from the 

 eleventh to the end of the thirteenth segment The 

 skin was of tough consistence, finely and conspicuously 

 wrinkled transversely, and rather glistening ; the 

 shining head of a light brown colour, darker brown at 



