130 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[June 



The larvae are bright green, with distinct white stripe along the back, 

 attenuated at both ends, and extremely lively, jumping about in all 

 directions when in the net ; an easy species to breed, but far from 

 easy to find, for they are one of the most local species. I have only 

 found the larvae in one small patch of its food plants, in an unfre- 

 quented part of Epping Forest, near Loughton. We must not forget 

 to beat the hawthorn trees, for now is the time to get the larva of 

 H. scahrella. 



If we now examine the clumps of Artemesia vulgaris growing by the 

 roadside or waste places the beginning of the month, we shall find 

 some of the shoots are drooping and withered. This is caused by the 

 Isirva of E . allisella ; these larvae go down into the root during the 

 winter months, and in the spring work up the fresh shoots, causing 

 them to droop and die. When the moth emerges the cocoon is left 

 sticking out of the side of the stem. The beginning of the month is 

 the best time to search for the large, curved, black cases of the rare 

 Col. conspicuella on the under side of the leaves of Centaurea nigra, for 

 they are now about full fed. It is a most difficult species to breed, 

 even if the larvae are full grown. I have taken a great many some 

 seasons, but rarely breeding more than three or four specimens, and 

 on cutting the cases open have found the larvae shrivelled up, so that 

 I think most of them die when changing to the pupa ; some of them, 

 I am convinced, must hibernate, for I have found some of the larvae 

 crawling about in the cage in September, long after the time when 

 the moth emerges ; and again, when taking the full-grown cases, some 

 are to be seen very small, certainly not more than one-third the size 

 of the others, and as the moth emerges in July, these, I think, must 

 remain as larva till the following season ; I am acquainted with the 

 larvae of most of the Coleophora, but have never observed this habit 

 in any of the others. While searching the leaves of the Centaurea for 

 these curved cases, some small, straight, black cases, with whitish 

 keel, will be observed ; these are the larvae of Col. alcyonypennella, and 

 in the shoots of the same plant the larva of D. litiirella will be found 

 drawing them together. In the shoots of Burdock the larva of D. 

 arenella is occasionally to be found with similar habits. The early 

 part of the month is about the best time to search for the larva of A^. 

 schiffermillerella (fasciellus) ; these larvae form flat, fiddle-shaped cases, 

 and are found under the radical leaves of Ballota nigra, which they 



