I89i.] 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



131 



gnaw into large holes, and as the larvae drop to the ground directly the 

 leaves are disturbed, it is best to carefully search the surface of the 

 ground at the root of the plant for them. The moths emerge about 

 9 a.m., and become very restless directly the sun shines on them, 

 flying up and down, thus soon becoming worn. In damp places 

 where the Angelica sylvestris is growing freely, some of the tops will be 

 found drawn together by the larvae of D. angelicella, and the tops of 

 the Meadow-sweet (Spivea idmaria) by the larvae of P. shephei-dana. 



We must now again examine the Genista anglica, when we shall 

 find some of the twigs have the leaves all drawn together up the stem 

 and very much bleached ; if on pulling it apart we find a reddish- 

 green larva in a sort of silken gallery, it would be the larva of Gelechia 

 alhipalpella. The bleached appearance of some of the leaves of the 

 Lotus corniculatus next claims our attention, and we are surprised to 

 see the ingenious method the larva of Gel. tceniolella adopts to secure 

 a steady habitation, viz. : drawing three leaves together from different 

 directions, and securely fastening them with silk, so that it matters 

 not which way the wind blows — the steadiness of its domicile is not 

 affected in the least. A little further on we observe some of the leaves 

 of Hypericum perforatum very neatly folded over into a sort of conical 

 habitation by the larva of G. aiiroguttella ; the plant is easily dis- 

 tinguished on being held up to the light, for its leaves appear as if 

 perforated with numberless small holes. On sallows and willows 

 similar cones are formed by the larvae of G. stigmalella. On oak trunks 

 the larva of Col. liitipenella will be found crawling ab(5ut to find a suit- 

 able place to fix their cases, and on hawthorn and sloe the straight, 

 brownish cases of C. nigricella are only too common. 



And now, for a change, we will have a ramble on the sea wall of 

 some tidal river ; soon the discoloured tops of the Chenopodium and 

 A triplex makes us turn aside to ascertain the cause, on pulling open 

 the webbed-together seed-heads we shall soon find the pretty striped 

 larva of Gel. atriplicella, and mining its leaves, making whitish blotches, 

 the larva of Gel. ncevifecella is very busy, while at the same time, on 

 the same plant, other leaves will be seen blotched with an irregular 

 greenish mine : this is caused by the green larvae of the beautiful reddish 

 Gel. hermannella. On the salt marsh and edges of the stream the Aster 

 tripolium is growing plentifully, on examining its fleshy leaves we shall 

 observe some of them have a rather transparent streak running up- 



