6 SCflRANKIA TURF0SAL1S. 



The egg before hatching is of a very pale pinkish 

 colour, with a brownish spot. 



The young larva is pale pinkish-white, with light 

 brownish head, plate, and legs, and the body slightly 

 hairy. (William Buckler, August, 1880 ; Note Book 

 IY, p. 26.) 



RlVULA SEEICEALIS. 



Plate CXLVIII, fig. 4. 



Herein I have to give the history of this species 

 from the egg 9 and to show how, after the first failure 

 to solve the problem of its food-plant, a second 

 trial ultimately proved successful ; and for this I have 

 to acknowledge my indebtedness to Mr. W. R. Jeffrey 

 for his kindness in enabling me to work it out most 

 thoroughly, of which, indeed, the full-grown larva 

 and pupa were evidently known to Guenee, but the 

 food-plant had not been observed ; probably the larva 

 had been captured after ceasing to feed, and so gave 

 no clue to its food, but we now know for certain the 

 food of its own choice. 



The first attempt was made in 1878, from eggs 

 which Mr. Jeffrey induced a captured female moth to 

 lay upon leaves of various low plants from the 12th to 

 the 14th of July, and in the share he kindly sent to me 

 I found two eggs on a bramble leaf, four on Stachys 

 sylvatica, one on Solidago virgaurea, and one on 

 Frag aria vesca. They all hatched on the night of the 

 20th [at 11 p.m. — Buckler, MS.], and the young larvae 

 were provided at once with leaves of all the above- 

 named plants, besides others ; and next day, on seeing 

 none were eaten, other kinds of leaves were given in 

 turn, but the tiny creatures refused every kind of 

 nourishment offered them, and died of starvation, 

 and those with Mr. Jeffrey shared the same fate. 



In 1881 Mr. Jeffrey was able to obtain another 

 batch of eggs from R. sericealis, and he again 

 gratified me with part of them on the 24th of July, 



