Insects, 



8179 



Capture of Toxocampa Craccce in Devonshire. — T took four specimens of Toxo- 

 campa Craccae in the perfect state, on the north coast of Devon, July 24—28, 1861. 

 This spring I wrote to a friend of mine, whose family are fond of Natural History, to 

 get them to search for the larva on Vicia sylvatica, which grows abundantly in the 

 locality. I received in due time a box with a broken lid, containing only food, the 

 three larvae which had been put in having found their way out. Afterwards I received 

 another box containing two larvae, one lively and nearly full-grown, the other smaller 

 and quite dead, and one pupa. The following is an accurate description of the larva, 

 taken from my journal : — " Date when received, June 7th. Food-plant, Vicia syl- 

 vatica. Legs 16, half-looper, long, rather attenuated towards extremities. Dorsal 

 band broad, dark olive, intersected by a thin dorsal line, and containing on each seg- 

 ment four indistinct blackish spots, two on each side of the line. The lateral spaces, 

 from the dorsal band to below the spiracles, are yellowish olive, containing, first, 

 a very narrow dark line from head to tail ; secondly, a cloudy broader line or band 

 enclosing the spiracles (blackish rings indistinct), and two small black spots on each 

 segment, placed obliquely on each side the spiracles, the upper one towards the head. 

 The whole of the under side is dark olive, as dark as the dorsal band, darkest next to 

 the lighter lateral spaces, streaked with lighter olive and intersected by a dark ventral 

 line. Head pale olive, with the darker lines of the body going through it." My larva 

 fed on Vicia sylvatica as long as the supply sent with it lasted ; when this failed, and 

 I was expecting every day to see it change to a pupa, 1 tried it with every kind of 

 leguminous plant that I could obtain from a neighbouring nursery, but in vain; and 

 as I could not procure its proper food in time, it died. My Devonshire friend had 

 before tried them on Vicia Cracca, but they would not touch it. My only hope now 

 was in the pupa which I received in the same box with the larva, and which was alive 

 when it arrived. As it was not in a cocoon, I thought it best to put it on earth in a 

 pot and cover it with moss. The result I have already stated ; but from my having 

 taken the imago in fine condition on July 24th, and received a pupa on June 7th, it 

 appears that the pupa state lasts about six weeks. There is no doubt in my mind of 

 the larva being that of T. Craccae ; it is not that of T. pastinum, as it is a half- 

 looper, and as it was taken feeding where the imago was taken the year before. 

 I will here give an extract from my friend's daughter's letter who found the 

 larvae, partly because it throws light on the habits of the insect, and partly because 

 it proves that the pupa sent me was that of the same kind of larva: — "lam 

 very glad you think it the right caterpillar, and I shall be very glad to give you any 

 information I can about it. The first boxful I sent you were very small, smaller than 

 the little one (the dead one) you had last time : they were exactly the same colour as 

 the larger, only perhaps a little lighter. 1 found them all on the stalk of the plant, 

 and generally crawling up it. I have seen two or three since, besides the ones I sent 

 you ; but they are very difficult to get. The moment you touch them they wriggle up 

 and fall off, and unless you have something underneath to catch them in they are lost 

 in the grass. The chrysalis turned after I picked up the caterpillar. One moruing 

 when I looked at it, it seemed stupid and sleepy, and I thought it was going to change 

 its skin. Next time I looked it was a chrysalis: it had no cocoon. J found all of 

 them close to where we used to catch the moth, never higher up nor lower down, 

 though the plant was more plentiful then." I could have got more larvae I have no 

 doubt ; but I told my friend not to take any more, for fear of destroying the species. 

 Mr. Stainton exhibited a specimen of the perfect insect at a meeting of the London 



