14 DIANTHJIOlA IRREGULARIS. 



They were not full grown, but had, I think, assumed 

 the markings of the adult larva; were of average 

 thickness, and about three-quarters of an inch in 

 length. The head is considerably smaller than the 

 second segment, and emits a few short hairs. The 

 body is nearly uniformly cylindrical, but tapering very 

 slightly anteriorly; the segmental divisions tolerably 

 conspicuous ; the skin smooth and slightly glossy ; 

 the usual dots rather indistinct. The general colour 

 is pale yellowish-brown, tinged with green ; the head 

 wainscot-brown, sparingly dotted with black. The 

 dorsal line is composed of a series of narrow V-shaped 

 smoke-coloured marks, one on each segment, and the 

 apex of each pointed posteriorly; these V- sna P e ^ 

 marks are most conspicuous from the fifth to the 

 ninth segments ; on the others they appear as an 

 interrupted greyish line, bordered on each side with 

 smoke-colour ; the subdorsal lines are inconspicuous, 

 dull white, margined very narrowly with brown ; 

 along the spiracles extends a smoke-coloured stripe, 

 dark on the lower part, but shading gradually into the 

 ground-colour above. The ground-colour between 

 the dorsal and spiracular lines is faintly variegated 

 with brown, and below the spiracles, which are black, 

 is a yellowish-white stripe. The belly is semi-trans- 

 lucent and shining, greyish tinged with green. 



It feeds in a state of nature on Silene otites, but 

 mine did not refuse Lychnis flos-cuculi. In a few days 

 they began to wander about the breeding-cage, to the 

 sides of which they finally attached themselves, when 

 a single ichneumon emerged from each. Each of 

 these parasites spun its cocoon beside the dying larva ; 

 these cocoons, when completed, were very curious, 

 and almost exactly resembled dried husk-covered seeds 

 of some plant. Mr. Bloomfield informs me that a 

 large proportion of the larvaa of this insect are in- 

 fested with this parasite. (Geo. T. Porritt, September 

 2nd, 1870; Entom., October, 1870, V, 177.) 



