iSgi.] THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



NOTES FOK BEGINNERS.— MICRO LARV^ 



FOR THE MONTH. 



BY GEO. ELISHA, F.E.S. 



Autumn is now fully upon us, and during October we must 

 endeavour to get all the leaf feeding larvae as quickly as possible, for 

 towards the end of the month we occasionally get slight frosts at 

 night, and often cold windy weather during the day, which soon cause 

 the leaves to fall and be scattered in all directions. But even this is 

 an advantage in some cases, for we are able to obtain the larvae or 

 pupae of many species of the LitJiocoUitida that only feed in the leaves 

 of the upper branches of the trees. 



Many of the species occuring last month are still to be obtained, 

 with the slight advantage that those we come across now are about 

 full fed, but it is at the risk of finding many of the leaves and seed 

 heads tenantless if deferred too long, so we must now make the best 

 use of our time and get away on some of the glorious mornings we 

 occasionally get this month, and search the margins and main drives 

 of woods, and the hedges and hedge banks of quiet country lanes. 



One of the first plants that attract our notice at this time, especially 

 on dry chalky slopes or hedge banks is that erect composite plant the 

 Spikenard (Inula conyza) with its numerous flower heads On opening 

 some of them we shall probably find a fat yellowish white larva with 

 brown head, which would be that of Gel. bifractella. It is best to cut 

 off the whole of the seed heads attached to the main stems, and on 

 arriving home, put them into an airy cage in their natural position, 

 and keep them out of doors durmg winter. There is another growing 

 on chalky soils, viz. : the common Marjoram {Origanum vulgare) from 

 which we must not forget to cut a good bagfull of the flower heads, 

 for they contain the larvae of Gel. suhocellea, these larvae have the 

 singular habit of eating out the contents of a seed husk, using it as a 

 case and moving from one flower to another, attaching the dry calyces 

 to its case as it proceeds, till it exactly resembles the case of one of 

 the ColeopJiorcc \ they are most difficult to detect on the plant, but when 

 the flower heads are put into the cage may be observed the next day 

 crawling up the sides. 



