THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



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known, I am inclined to think that the hybernating larvae were those 

 of the latter species, as tephmdactyla, if it does hybernate, must be very 

 minute in the autumn, but 'for all that, it may hybernate. Mr. 

 Hodgkinson (" Entomologist's Monthly Magazine," Vol. XII., p. 13) 

 questioned the hybernation of the larvae and on recording the capture 

 of young larvae on May 2nd, 1875, at Witherslack, remarked that he 

 had been told that that larvae fed up in autumn in the South of 

 England, his personal observation agreeing with that of Frey, whilst the 

 latter remark evidently referred to the larvae of osteodactyla. Mr. South 

 writes: — " Young hybernated larvae may be found as soon as the 

 foodplant is above the ground eating the tender shoots, often three or 

 four larvae on one shoot. They are then about the size of a larva of 

 Avctia mendica just emerged from the egg, and in colour whitish with 

 long grey hairs " (" Entomologist," Vol. XV., p. 106). This is of 

 course only an assumption of hybernation, and with the exception of 

 Mr. Stainton's observation mentioned above, no one appears to have 

 noted larvae before or during hybernation. 



Pupa — The pupa is similar to those of others of the group being 

 of a greenish colour and attached by the anal segment to the food 

 plant. A rather large supply of pupae for which I was indebted to 

 Mr. Batty of Sheffield, appeared to be considerably darker than 

 others from Kent, although I did not have them side by side for 

 comparison. It may be found, ,during June. Of the pupa, Mr. Porritt 

 writes : — " The pupa is attached by the anal segment to a stem or 

 leaf of the food-plant, and, although there is no silken belt its position 

 is not suspended, but flat along the stalk or leaf to which it may be 

 attached. It is barely half-an-inch long, compact, and of moderate 

 bulk ; there is a distinct depression extending through the centre 

 of the dorsal surface from the head to the anal segment ; and the 

 abdominal divisions, eye and leg cases are well defined. Ground 

 colour dingy dull green ; the sides thickly sprinkled with smoke-colour; 

 there is also a smoky stripe through the wing-cases ; the hairs grey. 

 The imagines emerged early in June " (" Entomologist," Vol. XIV., 

 p. 260). Mr. South also describes the pupa in the " Entomologist," 

 Vol. XV., p. 106. 



Habitat — This species is widely distributed and occurs in most 

 places where Solidago abounds. It is recorded from the Isle of Skye, 

 by Mr. C. W. Dale. It was captured at Conistone by Mr. E. M. 

 Geldart (" Entomologist's Monthly Magazine," Vol. II., p. 184). 

 Mr. Hodgkinson records the capture of young larvae on the 2nd of 

 [May, 1875, at Witherslack, and remarks that he has been informed 

 that the larva feeds up in autumn, in the South of England (I.e., 

 Vol. XII., p. 13)- This, I think, may be entirely an error, as the larva 

 is certainly very small in the spring, and probably refers to the larva 



