DASYPOLIA TEMPLI. 21 



their presence ; but at the end of a month — about May 

 23rd — they had reached the bottom of the stems and 

 the crown of the roots, and several of the plants began 

 to show signs of decay. On the 4th of June one larva 

 was extracted from near the bottom of a stem, and 

 by that time measured about five-eighths of an inch. 

 Being placed on another plant it made itself at home 

 there also, and fed and grew till July 10th, when it 

 was again examined, and being found then to measure 

 one inch and three-eighths, was sent to me to be 

 figured. 



It appeared very uncomfortable when taken out of 

 its food-stem and exposed to light while being de- 

 picted, and when replaced on the stem soon found its 

 hole and disappeared within. 



I attempted to rear it on a cut stem of Heracleum 

 inserted in a pot of moist earth, but after a few 

 days it left the stem and died in a very flaccid condi- 

 tion. 



Meanwhile the larvae which had been undisturbed 

 seem to have eaten away and grown more rapidly, 

 penetrating even into the main root of the plants, and 

 causing them to wither. By July 1 0th Mr. Doubleday 

 examined one larva which was nearly full-grown, and 

 about this time probably most of them became restless 

 and wandered off in search of fresh food, for about 

 the 18th of the month neither Mr. Hellins nor I could 

 find one left in any of our plants, and Mr. Doubleday 

 had but few, remaining. 



However, on the 19th he most kindly sent me a 

 large root with two larvae, then about one inch and 

 five-eighths long, and on the 25th another — a fine 

 fellow, two inches long, and apparently full-fed. 



Before describing the larva I may here at once say 

 that neither of us succeeded in rearing an imago ; 

 those larvae that did not run away became infested 

 with parasites (Microg aster alvearius), and thus 

 perished miserably. 



However, M. de Graslin (to whom Mr. Doubleday 



