HOMCEOSOMA SIXUELLA. 227 



lanceolata) were much frequented by Homoeosoma 

 sinuella, specimens of which were running up the 

 long flower-stalks to take flight ; but as this only led 

 me to examine the seed-heads of the plantain, no 

 results followed. However in February last, 1878, 

 when searching for Dtcrorampha larvae along the 

 undercliffs (Pembrokeshire), I came upon these large 

 plants of ribwort-plantain, and determined to give 

 them a thorough examination, and in the solid root- 

 stocks (from which proceed the fibrous roots) I found 

 larvae, which from their appearance I was disposed 

 at the time to refer to some Tortrix, but which soon 

 began to spin themselves tough, soft, silken cocoons, 

 which became in time of a sooty black, within the 

 cavities in which the larvae had lived, and they 

 remained unchanged for at least four months. Other 

 larvae continued, apparently, to feed much longer, 

 but at the end of March most of them were in 

 cocoon, and early in June they began to assume the 

 pupa state. The first moth emerged from these on 

 the 17th of June, and they continued to come out all 

 through July; but in their favourite haunts on the 

 warm slopes of the cliffs specimens were flying at the 

 beginning of June. When examining the plants in 

 March and April I was surprised to find how small 

 and stunted a root-stock would serve to contain 

 a larva, and in the larger roots to find two or three 

 cocoons in one cavity. At the same time, although 

 portions of the plants were killed, fresh vigorous 

 shoots were growing from the sides, and these 

 became after a while so luxuriant that it was 

 difficult to find the pieces of old root-stock in which 

 the larvae had fed, and were then in pupa. 



On the 4th of September I again examined the 

 plantains, and found young larvae at work, some of 

 them, indeed, being well grown and actually larger than 

 those I had found in the winter, and that they now 

 bore much more the appearance of Homoeosoma larvae. 

 At this time, in what may be called its active state of 



