370 PTEROPHORUS OSTEODACTYLUS. 



hibernated among the dried heads of Solidago, some 

 making a snug cocoon-like retreat of the seed-down, 

 others remaining without any such protection; and 

 these assumed a reddish tinge during the winter. 

 (Richard South, Bntom., February, 1889, XXII, 35.) 



Pterophorus microdactylia. 

 Plate CLXIY, fig. 5. 



To Mr. William H. Grigg, of Bristol, I have been 

 indebted for the good opportunity afforded me of 

 studying this interesting plume larva, by his very 

 kindly sending me a number of examples on the 26th 

 of July, 1875, which, two days before, he had found 

 in the flowering stems of Eupatorium cannabinum. 



Mr. Grigg also acquainted me with his having 

 taken, at the same time and place, nine fresh speci- 

 mens of the moth, at the very spot where they 

 occurred plentifully in May of the previous year, — 

 whence he inferred the insect to be double-brooded. 



I found it no easy matter to keep the stems, in 

 which these larvae were living, from either drying up 

 or turning mouldy ; from these mishaps, and from the 

 larvaa refusing to enter the fresh stems provided for 

 them, most of the number died. However, I was at 

 length well pleased at being able to breed three speci- 

 mens of the moth on the 8th, 9th, and 19th of 

 August, and a fourth a fortnight later, thus satis- 

 factorily proving their identity. 



Most of these larvse were mining, singly, within the 

 stems, near to the axils of the leaf-stalks, though 

 three or four had their mines situated midway between 

 the axillary branchings near the top of the plant; the 

 small hole at the entrance of a mine is not very 

 readily detected, for although frass is probably 

 extruded from it, especially at first, yet I found none 

 hanging outside the entrance, and only a fine dust at 

 the bottom of their cage gave evidence that a small 



