DIANTH^CIA BARRETT1I. 



DlANTHiEOIA BARRETTII. 



Plate LXXXVII, fig. 5. 



For the exposition of the habits of this rare species, 

 which, so far as at present known, seems confined to 

 a part of the Irish coast, I am greatly obliged to 

 Mr. E. G. Meek, who kindly sent me nine eggs laid 

 by a captured female, four of them on part of a flower 

 calyx of Silene maritima, to which they adhered, and 

 five loose. 



I received the eggs in July, 1878, when nothing 

 seemed to be known of the larval food-plant for 

 certain, though I then heard from a kind friend of 

 great experience that Statice armeria might be a likely 

 plant to try, as well as that on which the eggs had 

 been laid, and which was naturally also suggested by 

 the insect's generic name of Dianthsecia. 



Seven of the eggs were hatched in the evening of 

 July 10th, the other two next morning, and the little 

 larvse were quite remarkable for their activity and 

 robustness as soon as they were out of the shells, 

 marching vigorously over small sprays of the two 

 plants above mentioned provided for them. 



During the next day three of the larvae were eating 

 out little sinuous channels in leaves of the Silene, 

 surrounding themselves with frass, and by the third 

 day had worked their way into the stems at the axils 

 of the leaves, where they had also thrown out little 

 heaps of frass. Similar indications showed that one 

 individual had entered a seed-capsule from within the 

 flower calyx ; the others were still to be seen roaming 

 about at intervals until it occurred to me to try them 

 with a small piece of the root of the plant, as well also 

 of that of the Statice, when they all soon after dis- 

 appeared. 



On the fourth day, while inspecting the piece of 

 root of 8. maritima, I detected two small holes in it 



