158 SPILODES STICTICALIS. 



to look at ; deposited one on another in an irregular 

 mass ; colour an orange-yellow, changiug just an hour 

 or two before the larvae emerged to smoky grey, the 

 heads of the larvae showing as black dots. 



The larvae appeared on the 10th of June, and from 

 the first were very active. Seeing Artemisia given as 

 their food by Treitschke, I supplied them with A. 

 vulgaris, and they took to it readily, and throve so 

 well that by the 7th of July they were nearly full-fed. 

 I noticed that they ate away the upper side of a leaf, 

 avoiding the ribs and veins, and leaving the under side 

 untouched. They were very active, walking rapidly, 

 and could jump backwards an inch at a time. 



When full-fed the larva is scarcely an inch in length, 

 slightly tapering towards either end from the stoutest 

 part, which is at the fifth segment. The head is black 

 and shining, as is also in some specimens the plate at 

 the second segment, which in others is of the ground 

 colour; the ground is of a dull leaden-grey hue; some 

 larvae have a pale dorsal line with dark outlines, whilst 

 in others the pale line is not seen, but the dark out- 

 lines run together to form a stripe with a paler line on 

 either side ; subdorsal line pale ; spiracular stripe pale 

 sulphur-yellow, deeper above and paler below, and 

 intersected by an interrupted dark grey line. The 

 usual dorsal spots appear as large shining warts, 

 which have a pale centre enclosed with a blackish ring, 

 and emit bristles; spiracles black; the belly pale 

 olive-grey with shining warts. 



There was one variety of a pale grey ground colour, 

 with the lines faintly yellow, and this combination 

 gave a greenish appearance to the larva. 



These larva? appeared to go under ground for 

 pupation, but I have not yet disturbed the pupae. 



Three or four of the imagos appeared during the 

 second week in August, and I am hoping to see some 

 more next June. (John Hellins, 28th January, 1867 ; 

 E.M.M., April, 1867, III, 260.) 



