178 SCOPULA DECREP1TALIS. 



Dr. Chapman and Mr. Jeffrey each took notes with 

 a view to publishing the history of the species, but as 

 they have both expressed the wish that I should do 

 the writing of it, I have undertaken to do so ; although 

 as Dr. Chapman really knows so much more about the 

 species than any of us, I was most anxious that it 

 should come from his pen in preference to my own. 

 He very kindly placed his notes in my hands to be 

 incorporated with my own, and as I find he has noted 

 some details I had omitted, such as the position of the 

 hairs, etc., besides giving description of the egg and 

 the first stages of the larvse, the history is thereby 

 rendered much more complete than would otherwise 

 have been the case. 



The eggs were laid about the 20th of June, on leaves 

 of Teucrium scorodoiiia, and Dr. Chapman described 

 them as amorphous-looking objects, nearly colourless, 

 flat, and approximately round, fitting accurately into 

 the grooves and roughnesses of the leaves of the 

 Teucrium, as if at the time of laying they had been 

 fluid, and really not looking very solid still. The 

 surface is not, however, smooth, but faintly and irre- 

 gularly rough and shagreened. They became more 

 white and opaque when towards hatching, and the 

 black eye-spots of the included larvas could sometimes 

 be detected. They hatched on the 3rd of July. 



The newly emerged larva? are colourless or whitish, 

 very transparent, with very black eye-spots, and faintly 

 brown jaw tips ; the hairs are long, as long as the 

 diameter of the body, and directed forwards and back- 

 wards, but the disposition of the tubercles could not be 

 ascertained, owing to the uniform colourlessness of the 

 larvae ; they seemed to be of the usual pattern, with 

 one bristle each. 



The first moult occurred on the 7th July. It makes 

 no change in the aspect of the larva, which has, 

 however, a greenish tint from the time it begins 

 feeding, from the intestinal contents. 



The second moult occurred about the 11th of July, 



