20 EUPITHECIA CONS1GNA.TA. 



bark. The admirers of the genus Eupithecia are greatly 

 indebted to the discoverer of the larva of this very- 

 pretty species. (Joseph Greene, July, 1868; E.M.M., 

 August, 1868, V, 73.) 



EUPITHECIA PULCHELLATA. 



Plate CXXIX, fig. 4. 



This interesting and hitherto unknown and unde- 

 scribed larva has turned up in some numbers during 

 the present summer (1864), and now that its habits 

 and food-plant are known will probably prove to be 

 one of our commonest and most generally dispersed 

 insects. The merit of its discovery is due to my ex- 

 cellent and indefatigable friend the Rev. John Hell ins, 

 of Exeter. Last year (1863) both he and I had 

 several batches of fertile eggs of E. pulchellata, which 

 were kindly sent us by Mr. J. B. Hodgkinson, of 

 Preston ; the young larvae hatched out well, but though 

 we supplied them with every likely flower we could 

 think of, they refused everything, and perished 

 miserably of starvation. 



This summer (1864) Mr. Hellins again received fertile 

 eggs from Mr. Hodgkinson, and, at Mr. Doubleday's 

 suggestion, supplied the newly hatched larva3 with 

 flowers of the common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) ; 

 finding that they fed freely, grew, and prospered, he 

 at once communicated the interesting fact to his ento- 

 mological friends, and the result is that the larva has 

 been discovered in some numbers in several different 

 localities ; I took about forty in a w T ood about a mile 

 from my house in less than an hour ; some relatives of 

 mine have found it in profusion at Warstow, near 

 Leek, Staffordshire ; Mr. Batty has met with it near 

 Sheffield; and Mr. Baker has taken it freely in tbe 

 neighbourhood of Derby. 



It feeds on the stamens and unripe seed-capsules of 

 the common foxglove, spinning the lip of the flower 



