PIONEA STRAMENTALIS. 153 



The eggs were first observed on the 24th of the 

 month to be laid on leaves of Lotus major, Glechoma 

 hederacea, Barbarea vulgaris and seed-pod, Myosotis 

 cse-spitosa and Phalaris arundinacea, scattered in little 

 flat masses ; the largest number in any mass amounted 

 to thirteen ; others ranged from three to five, six, seven, 

 and eight, overlapping each other after the manner of 

 Botys pandalis, and like them presented a smooth and 

 greasy appearance. 



It was some time before I could detect on the 

 Glechoma a mass of eggs of precisely the same colour 

 as the under-side of the leaf where they adhered, and 

 only when the mass presently in a slight degree began 

 to swell above the surrounding surface could I feel 

 sure it was composed of eggs, so perfect was the 

 assimilation. 



In the interval while the eggs were maturing, Mr. 

 Jeffrey and I exchanged ideas with regard to the 

 probable food-plant, so as to be provided in readiness 

 for the young larvae, and I found we were both in 

 accord in having fixed on the cruciferous plant as the 

 most likely among those above mentioned to have 

 induced the parent insects to have parted with their 

 eggs so freely as they had, both on it and the other 

 leaves, probably from knowing the right food was 

 present, which their progeny would unerringly find. 

 And we had good ground for assuming this to be the 

 case, as we remembered the fact that our only two 

 other British species of Pionea, viz. P. forficalis and 

 P. wargaritalis, both feed on Cruciferae. 



Accordingly, when the eggs hatched on the 2nd, 

 3rd, and 4th of August, we were both prepared with 

 Barbarea vulgaris for the young larvae, whose liking 

 for it became soon unmistakably apparent, for though 

 the other kinds of leaves were at first put with it, yet 

 each little larva in turn found its way from them to 

 the Barbarea, and crept down the upper-side of the 

 leaf to near the stalk and there rested, and in course 

 of an hour or two three became a numerous assemblage 



