84 HELI0DES ARBUTI. 



details, which were well exposed to view, I could see 

 the little larva making continual efforts to free its 

 hindermost segment from a part of the shell adhering 

 to the other eggs, but it was unable to extricate itself, 

 and by next morning had perished. 



With the return of May in 1881 I felt greatly en- 

 couraged to persevere, on finding that my previous 

 failure had by no means diminished, but perhaps in- 

 creased, the kindly interest taken by Mr. Stainton in 

 the elucidation of the early stages of this insect, and he 

 lost no time in giving me the result of his observa- 

 tions, both in literature and in the field ; so that I 

 soon learned what flowers were most visited by it, — 

 for, as may well be supposed, some doubt of the food- 

 plant had naturally by this time occurred to me, — and 

 that Oerastium arvense was the plant assigned to H. 

 arbuti by Carl von Tischer, who communicated this 

 to Treitschke and afterwards to Freyer, as quoted by 

 both, whom Guenee appears to have followed ; I also 

 learned that G. arvense does not grow in the district 

 where H. arbuti is found flying by Mr. Stainton, but 

 that G. vulgatum does, plentifully, of which he kindly 

 sent me a few plants for potting on the 21st, and on 

 the next day as many as twenty specimens of H. arbuti, 

 all in lively condition. 



The moths were distributed in three pots of grow- 

 ing plants, protected with glass cylinders and leno 

 covers ; two of the pots contained the 0. vulgatum, 

 and the third pot some different plants of the Caryo- 

 phyllese, besides in each some tufts of Bellis perennis, 

 whose blossoms constantly attracted and helped to 

 nourish them, as did also sugar and water frequentty 

 supplied; in the evening of the 23rd I saw one egg 

 had been laid on the glass cylinder, and on the 25th 

 another egg on the opposite side of the same glass 

 enclosing some of the Oerastium. 



On the 1st of June a friend brought me some plants 

 of G. arvense in full bloom, kindly obtained near 

 Lewes, as the plant does not occur in this locality, 



