130 BOTYS FTJSCALIS. 



I received the larvao on the 25th of July, 1878, some 

 of them nearly full-grown, feeding on the flowers and 

 tender seed-capsules of Melampyrum pratense, inhabit- 

 ing webs or galleries formed with silk, uniting the 

 flowers and capsules to the stalk, and much covered in 

 parts with frass. 



The earliest were full-fed at the end of July, and on 

 the 2nd of August spun their cocoons ; the others 

 continued feeding until the 5th, when they also left 

 the plant, and soon after spun themselves up in the 

 angles at top and bottom of their cage, within tough 

 semi-opaline silken cocoons, sufficiently clear, for a 

 long time afterwards, to show the very pale larvae 

 through the silk ; pupation not occurring before the 

 following spring. 



With me the moths emerged from the 8th to the 

 20th of July, 1879, and with Mr. Jeffrey about the 

 same time, though some of his were bred as late as the 

 end of that month. 



The full-grown larva is a little more than half an 

 inch in length, very slightly tapering at either end, but 

 not very fusiform, though Pyralis-like ; the segments 

 have each a subdividing wrinkle across the back, and 

 are well-defined, having almost as plump a character 

 as with B. asinalis, the head rather smaller than the 

 second segment, but roundish in form, with the lobes 

 well developed on the crown ; the colour of the back 

 and sides is darkish grey-brown, darkest anteriorly; 

 the spiracular region and belly are pale, rather 

 ochreous-drab colour, the head blackish-brown and 

 glossy, also the semilunar plate dorsally divided by a 

 fine line on the second segment, whose margin of skin 

 next the head is remarkably paler than elsewhere ; the 

 dorsal line is darker and warmer brown than that of 

 the back ; the folds of skin at the segmental divisions, 

 when they occur, are of an ochreous-drab ; the tuber- 

 cular warty spots are blackish-brown and shining, the 

 dorsal anterior pairs largest, becoming rather of a 

 warmer brown on the hinder segments, united on the 



