CRAMBOS DUMETELLCTS. 289 



Crambus dumetellus. 

 Plate CLX, fig. 3. 



On the 28th of June, 1876, Mr. C. Gr. Barrett sent 

 me from Pembroke a batch of twenty-one eggs of this 

 species, with the information of the insect occurring 

 in dry pastures, and that a sod cut from such a place 

 would be the most likely nourishment for the larvse. 



The egg is a longish-oval shape, ribbed and pitted, 

 the shell glistening, of a delicate salmon colour on 

 arrival, the next clay more pink. 



On the 1st of July a second batch arrived from Mr. 

 Barrett. 



The eggs began to change by imperceptible degrees 

 daily to deeper and deeper pink, until the 8th of July, 

 when a dark brown spot appeared at one end of the 

 egg. Towards the evening of the same day they 

 began to hatch. 



The young larva has a darkish chestnut-brown 

 head and plate behind it, the body being a light 

 salmon colour banded across each segment with 

 pink. 



On the 9th of June, 1878, came a good batch of 

 eggs from Mr. Barrett. They were pale straw-colour, 

 but they began to turn pinkish next day, and deepened 

 in colour daily till they became as above, and they 

 began to hatch on the 23rd and were all out on the 

 24th. They w r ere placed on a large potted turf of 

 grass cut from a dry pasture. The grass looked well 

 all through the winter, too well indeed in April and 

 the beginning of May to allow me to count on many 

 larvae feeding on it. 



On the 15th of May, 1879, I removed the turf and 

 searched it all thoroughly, when I found only one 

 larva and one cocoon. The larva was inhabiting the 

 usual little cylindrical gallery of silk, very smooth and 

 whitish within and covered exteriorly with dried 

 particles of grass and frass. 



VOL. ix. 19 



