HYDROCAMPA NYMPH^ATA. 



95 



gave rise between us, my friend Mr. R. McLachlan 

 expressed a belief that further investigation would 

 prove the larva to be polyphagous, and not confined 

 to Potamogeton only. I have the pleasure of com- 

 mencing my present notes by furnishing a full confir- 

 mation of this belief ; I shall then relate in detail the 

 movements of larvse, which I watched very carefully 

 and minutely while they were engaged in case-making. 

 I have to give an account of a moult which I 

 witnessed, and I think I shall show that Reaumur's 

 statement (which always seemed dubious) as to the 

 protection of the eggs by the parent must have origi- 

 nated in some mistake. 



If my paper seems long, it must be that I have not 

 power to communicate to the reader the intense inte- 

 rest I myself felt whilst watching the proceedings 

 which I have now attempted to record. 



About the middle of June, 1876, Mr. Jeffrey sent 

 me larva3 in cases made from Myosotis cxspitosa and 

 Potamogeton nutans ; later in the month several from 

 Hydroehavis morsus-ranse and Sparganium simplex, this 

 last plant abounding with cases in one locality ; in 

 August came cases from Gatabrosa aquatica, and in 

 September small larvae of the next generation in 

 cases from Potamogeton polygonifolius and P. pusillus. 

 Meanwhile I had been searching in my own neigh- 

 bourhood, and found a pond with plenty of Potamo- 

 geton natans in it, and on examining the plants round 

 its margin, detected cases cut from most of those 

 mentioned above, and some also from Alisma plan- 

 tago. It soon appeared, also, that the larvse sent to 

 me on Hydrocharis, a plant not to be obtained here, 

 made no difficulty in taking to any of the others, as 

 well as to Nymphdea alba ; and, in fine, that whatever 

 might be the food on which the larvse were found, 

 they were quite as well pleased with that which was 

 most convenient for me to give them ; showing them- 

 selves, as far as aquatic plants go, thoroughly poly- 

 phagous. 



