242 



L March, 



in proportion ; it is white in colour, of a circular form, flattened and 

 depressed in the centre both above and below, ribbed and beaded 

 boldly at the sides, and from thence more finely by degrees to the centre. 



The egg does not change colour, but retains its pure dead-white 

 appearance even after the exit of the larva ; a small hole showing like 

 a black spot on the side of the shell alone betraying the escape of the 

 little creature. 



Mr. Hudson informed me of one of hia larvae being hatched on the 

 29th February, which was followed by others on the 3rd March ; and 

 all were placed on various little plants from the locality where the 

 parent butterfly had been taken, but from want of the right food, and 

 partly by accidents, they were starved and lost. 



On the 28th February Mr. Hellins reported that one larva had 

 hatched, and that it soon after died ; and another on 6th March, which 

 was placed on heather, Lotus corniculatuSy and one or two other vetches, 

 but with no success. On the 18th March two of my eggs hatched, and 

 the larvae were placed with a variety of food, but they died without 

 eating, and others soon followed in the same way, with Mr. Hellins 

 and myself. However, shortly after, Mr. Hellins acquainted me with 

 the fact of his having seen one distinctly eat a tiny hole in the leaflet 

 of a small vetch, Ervum tetraspermum, growing in his garden, and he 

 sent me one of the plants, and upon this, for some days, the young 

 larva) as they were hatched were placed ; but instead of eating they 

 wandered away or fell off" into the earth below, where it was impossible 

 to find them. 



Meanwhile we were not idle in ventilating the subject amongst 

 our friends, in what seemed a forlorn hope of obtaining a clue to the 

 proper food-plant, when fortunately at this critical juncture, Mr. 

 Doubleday kindly gave us the benefit of his excellent memory and 

 observation, in recalling the fact of his having seen, twenty years ago, 

 in some place, this little butterfly flitting over Oeiiista anglica and 

 Ornitliopus perpusillus, and that on the latter he had noticed some 

 females alight. 



In the midst of my trouble at losing the young larvae daily, and 

 being unable to find the desired Ornithojmsy I fortunately happened to 

 mention the subject to Dr. F. B. "White, of Perth, and he with great 

 good nature and promptitude despatched me a tin full of the plants. 

 These were at once potted and sprinkled with water, the remaining six 

 or seven eggs put on them in a sunny window, and in a day or two, by 

 aid of a lens, tlie young larvae were soon detected. By the 3rd May 

 some small transparent blotches were visible on the leaflets, on which 



