I89I.] 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



79 



season in earnest, for many species feed up rapidly and are seen no 

 more for another year ; so at the first opportunity, on some fine, balmy 

 morning, we are tempted to take a trip of a few miles into the country 

 in hope of getting the larvae of some species that may be useful to our 

 collection or in helping friends, or perhaps of finding the larva of one 

 of one of the many species that have as yet baffled our most careful 

 and observant entomologists. We must have a keen eye to examine 

 the cause of every twisted leaf, distorted shoot, or unhealthy-looking 

 plant we may come across, for these are the places where larvae will 

 be found, and as we leisurely walk along, what a relief it seems to get 

 away from the busy town life for even a short time, to such a quiet 

 country place, and how exhilarated one feels in the pure, clear atmos- 

 phere of the earl}^ morning, in these first trips of the season, listening 

 to the many sounds of approaching summer, till one almost forgets the 

 object that brought us to such a pleasant place this lovely morning. 



In the first place, it is as well to be provided with a few unbleached 

 calico bags about ten inches by eight, a few tin boxes, and a strong 

 knife. We do not proceed far along the lane before our attention is 

 attracted by the bleached appearance of some of the leaves in the 

 patch of ground ivy ( Glechonia hedevacea) growing by the roadside ; on 

 turning the leaves over we find some long curved, black cases attached 

 to the under side, these are the larv^ of Coleopliora alhitavsella, one of 

 a famil}?- of moths of v/liich the whole of the larvae are case-bearers. 

 Just pick the leaves on v\diich the cases are and put them into a tin 

 box, taking a clump of the plant for them to continue feeding on, as 

 we return home. The larvae of Scoparia olivalis will be found in a web 

 on the under side of the leaves of the same plant. A little further on, 

 the Stitchwort (Stellavia liolostea ), which is now growing rapidly, has 

 its leaves bleached in the same manner by the larva (in their straight, 

 whitish cases) of Coleophova solitariella, and in the shoots of the same 

 plant the larva of Gelechia tricolorella is at work, giving them a dis- 

 torted appearance. Coleopliora olivaceella, in their brownish cases with 

 a distinct keel, is another species feeding on the same plant ; but it is 

 extremely local, although generally distributed. 



We proceed onward, and soon the sun cistus (Helianthemum vulgave ) 

 growing in patches on the dry, chalky, hedge bank, attracts our notice, 

 for the bleached appearance of some of the leaves reminds us that the 

 lar\'a of Lavenui miscdla is at work within ; and in the shoots of 



