LASIOMMATA MEGJERA. 165 



LASIOMMATA MEGiERA. 



Plate IV, fig. 2. 



On July 9th, 1864, I received a larva from Mr. 

 Buckler, who must have been at that time rearing the 

 species ; the imago emerged July 23rd. In May, 1874, 

 I obtained ova, and took a description on the 25th ; 

 the larvse began to hatch on June 3rd and moulted for 

 the first time on June 10th, by June 24th they were 

 about 8 mm. long, and I bred the butterflies July 20th, 

 and following days ; these had gone through all their 

 stages in about two months. About the end of March, 

 1881,1 captured two larvae on grass; about the middle 

 of April these became pupse, and . the butterflies ap- 

 peared May 13th and 21st; these had come from eggs 

 laid in the previous July or August, and had hibernated 

 as larvse. The dates given above mark the times of 

 the two broods. 



The egg is deposited singly on grass blades ; in 

 shape it is dumpy conical, somewhat truncated, with 

 the top rather rounded ; the shell is glistening, covered 

 with rows of shallow reticulation on the sides and all 

 over the top, with a central spot of very small reticu- 

 lation ; colour at first pale green, then whitish, at last 

 dull greenish- white, with some dark purplish spots on 

 the top. 



The newly hatched larva has the head globular and 

 large, half as wide again as the second segment, with 

 the body tapering from it; all the usual dots promi- 

 nent, and each, carrying a long curved bristle ; colour 

 greyish, with a brownish dorsal line which widens in 

 the middle of each segment, and contracts at the folds, 

 two finer lateral lines ; the head shining pale olive with 

 little black warts carrying black bristles, the dots on 

 the back ringed with brownish. At the first moult the 

 colour is changed ; it becomes dull green all over, the 

 head bright green, the dorsal line of a green rather 

 deeper than the ground, but edged with paler lines ; 



