6 EMftlELESIA DECOLORATA. 



short time on each, and apparently depositing not 

 more than two or three eggs every time they settled. 



The egg is bright yellow, and hatches in abont 

 eight days. 



When very young the larva is yellow, with a shining 

 black head. (George T. Porritt, 24th July, 18G7; 

 Entom., August, 1867, III, 316.) 



In last month's number of the Entomologist (cited 

 above) Mr. Porritt has given a graphic and most 

 interesting account of the proceedings of the female 

 imago of this species of Emmelesia. 



As soon as the young larva emerges from the egg 

 it perforates the capsule of the food-plant, Lychnis 

 dioica, and feeds on the seeds contained in the interior, 

 of which it henceforth takes possession, and uses 

 it both as a granary and dormitory, never leaving it 

 unless for a similar tenement ; within this dwelling it 

 rests in a bent posture, thus accommodating its body 

 to the requirements of the chamber; when extracted 

 it crawls rather rapidly until it finds a vacated capsule 

 or some similar recess, where it can remain concealed 

 from observation ; it is full-fed towards the end of 

 July. 



The head is narrower than the second segment, 

 porrected in crawling, very glabrous, and not notched 

 on the crown. The body is rather obese, almost 

 uniformly cylindrical, and entirely without humps, 

 but it has a few minute warts, each of which emits a 

 fine but short hair from the summit; the second 

 segment has a double dorsal glabrous plate. 



The colour of the head and dorsal plate is wainscot- 

 brown ; the body is putty-coloured, with two rather 

 distant, rather narrow purple-brown stripes; below 

 each of these, yet above the spiracles, is a linear 

 series of markings of the same hue ; and below the 

 spiracles is a narrow stripe, also of the same purple- 

 brown colour; the ventral area is without markings, 

 as are the claspers; the legs are almost colourless 

 and shining. 



