EUPITHECIA TOGATA. 5i 



spruce fir trees ; to the spruces we therefore directed 

 our attention. Long did we carefully scan the twigs ; 

 diligently did we beat the boughs, but all in vain. 

 "Bother the larvse ! " we all exclaimed. We stood 

 together racking our brains, and staring up into a tall 

 spruce. " I've got it ! " we almost simultaneously 

 cried out ; " they are in the cones." " I'll go up," 

 said Mr. Herd ; and up he went, and soon began to 

 pelt us with cones. Amongst them were several from 

 which a copious quantity of fresh frass was pro- 

 truding. These were quickly laid open with a sharp 

 knife, and very soon a lively, fat, pinkish-looking 

 larva, very like a miniature Cossus ligniperda, was 

 disclosed to view, which I at once recognised to be 

 Eupithecia togata from a beautiful drawing which Mr. 

 Buckler executed for me several years ago, from a 

 larva reared on young shoots of spruce, from eggs laid 

 by a captured female. A further search revealed 

 sundry other larvae ; in one fresh-fallen cone we found 

 no less than seven of various sizes. They feed 

 between the scales of the cone, upon the ripe seed at 

 the base. 



The larva is a uniform dull pink, more or less 

 clouded and spotted with black on the dorsal seg- 

 ments. Some of the smaller and younger specimens 

 were very dingy. The head is black, with two small 

 white dots at the base; on the neck are two con- 

 spicuous black dots. 



When full-fed it quits the cone, and spins a slight 

 cocoon on the surface of the earth. 



The pupa is bright red, and resembles that of 

 Eupithecia subfuhata. 



Another somewhat similarly coloured larva, appa- 

 rently that of a Tortrix, feeds inside the cones in 

 company with that of Eupithecia togata. Sir Thomas 

 Moncreiffe believes it to be Asthenia strobilella. (H. 

 Harpur-Crewe, 1st November, 1875 ; E.M.M., 

 December, 1875, XII, 157; and Entom., December, 

 1875, VIII, 297.) 



