360 PTEROPHORUS PLAGIODACTYLUS. 



each end, and with two faint lines along the side a 

 little deeper than the tint of the ground colour ; on the 

 lowest line are the black spiracles, each on a slight 

 swelling ; the tubercular warts are of the pale ground 

 colour and furnished with rather long curved whitish 

 hairs ; the head and other parts of the body emit short 

 hairs. (William Buckler, October, 1871 ; E.M.M., 

 December, 1871, VIII, 156.) 



On the 19th of May last, 1871, I went over to my 

 favourite chalk-pit, determined, if possible, to make 

 the acquaintance of the larva of Pterophorus plagio- 

 dactylus. The sloping banks of the pit are covered 

 with a profusion of wild flowers, and among them 

 Scabiosa columbaria and S. arvensis grow in abun- 

 dance. 



At this time these plants were throwing up strong 

 shoots, and growing so rapidly that the infested 

 portions of the plant were almost directly covered, and 

 concealed by the healthy shoots, so that I had no little 

 difficulty in discovering the whereabouts of the larva. 



The mode of life is this : the larva gnaws a hole in 

 the side of a young shoot, and working up, devours 

 its anterior substance, proceeding from shoot to shoot 

 till full-fed, when it attaches itself to the plant by the 

 anal segment, and becomes an angular bright green 

 pupa, beautifully edged and pointed off with pink, and 

 entirely without hairs. 



The favourite food-plant is Scabiosa columbaria, but 

 8. arvensis serves as a substitute, and in the fens the 

 moth is common among 8. succisa. 



The species is double-brooded, appearing in May 

 and June, and again in August, the larva feeding in 

 May and doubtless again in July, but in the latter case 

 the mode of feeding has still to be observed, as the 

 plants are then well grown. (Charles Gr. Barrett, 

 11th October, 1871; E.M.M., December, 1871, VIII, 

 156.) 



On the 9th of May, 1872, I received from Mr. 

 Barrett to figure and describe two examples of the 



