THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



77 



The method I pursue for all spring grass feeding larv^ is to have a 

 large tub with grass and weeds growing therein. I give this a good 

 shower night and morning with a watering can, just enough to nicely 

 damp the surface. This I hnd does the larvas no harm but rather good, 

 and I feel sure is the salvation of Potato via larvae and renders their 

 successful rearing a much greater certainty. 



In i88g two larvae remained very late in that stage. The one spun 

 its cocoon August 3rd, and a small well-marked male emerged 

 September 6th. The other larva remained perfectly healthy till 

 September 26th and then sickened and died. It was full grown. 

 Both these were taken in the spring iS8g. — A. E. Hall, Xorbury, 

 Sheffield, February, iSgi. 



Satyrus semele and Thecla Ouercus. — It is o'enerallv known 

 that S. semele pupates below the surface of the earth, and that the 

 pupa is brown and smooth and shiny like those of nocture. It does 

 not, however, appear to be so well known that the larva of Thecla 

 qiiercus also pupates underground, sometimes making a frail cocoon 

 of soil just on the surface of the earth, or availing itself of the 

 shelter of a fallen leaf. The chrysalis is of a shining rusty brown 

 colour with three rows of brown spots on the back. In shape 

 it is stout and rounded in otitline. — Id. 



MiANA STRiGiLis AND FASCIUNCULA. — Wliilc larv^e Searching in 

 a hedge bottom not far from here about g.30 p.m. ]\Iay Sth, iS8g. 

 I found about half-a-dozen curious larvae. Thev were of a verv hard 

 texture, of a dull dirty Avhite colour and much attenuated at each 

 extremity. I noticed two of them were much smaller and rather 

 differently marked to the others, but going avay from home the next 

 day prevented my taking further details, so put them in a box by 

 themselves and left them. On my return I found they had pupated. 

 On July 6th one strigilis var. cethiops and one fasciuncula of exquisite 

 reddish form emerged and on July Sth one st vigil is var. pvceduncula. 



Here at Sheffield only two forms of strigilis occur, viz : the vars. 

 cBthiops and pvcBdttncula, the type being unknown ; of fascmncula the 

 reddish form is the commoner though the paler form also occurs. 

 This latter species is always here very much smaller than strigilis and 

 most easily distinguishable. — Id. 



