96 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[May 



down for hybernation just where the leno and the moss creeping up to 

 the rim met, and spun a thread or two to keep themselves somewhat 

 protected. I did not watch them much after this, but imagine they 

 left their hybernacula some time in April, for I know it must have 

 been in that month that, as I was beating the sallows for catkins 

 tenanted by Xanthice, one of these little golden-rod larvae fell into my 

 net, evidently being on his travels previously to spinning. This 

 capture raised my hopes of at last seeing the moth, so I tried him 

 with various kinds of food then out in leaf, but could not see that he 

 ate anything ; and, having unfortunately squeezed him to death, I 

 once more gave up the puzzle as a bad job. It was a great relief, 

 therefore, to me to read Mr. Gregson's note, and still more so to breed 

 the moths myself ; for though in a general way I don't care much for 

 small things, finding plenty of occupation for all my spare time in 

 trying to rear Macros, yet this little larva coming in my way year 

 after year troubled me. The moths seem to be on the wing in July 

 and August ; the larvae feed through September and October, till the 

 downy seeds of the go] den-rod fly away, then hybernate till April, 

 when, after moving about a little, they spin up " (" Entomologist's 

 Monthly Magazine," Vol. IV., p. 157). Mr. Hellins then adds : — 

 " Since writing the above, I have been reminded by Mr. Buckler that 

 three or four years ago I sent him some larvae, beaten from the flowers 

 and seeds of yarrow (Achillea millefolium) growing near the sea, which 

 appeared identical with the larvae on golden-rod, now proved to be 

 osteodactylus ; and the mention of this fact has also made me recollect 

 that I have occasionally beaten one or two of them from rnugwort, 

 Artemisia vulgaris ; but in neither case did I succeed in breeding the 

 moth" ("Entomologist's Monthly Magazine," Vol. IV., pp. 157-158). 

 It appears very doubtful to me that this species feeds on either of 

 these last mentioned plants, and since Mr. Hellins did not make a 

 critical examination it is more than probable that from Artemisia he 

 had beaten the allied species lienigianus, and from yarrow one of the 

 Platyptilia species. The plume larvae vary so much in colour, and 

 their little hairy coats make them look so alike superficially, that only 

 one very conversant with the larvae could possibly discriminate some 

 of the various species. Of the larvae of osteodactylus, Mr. South 

 writes : — " In seed heads of Solidago virgauvcea. The larvae hybernated 

 among the dried heads of Solidago, some making a snug cocoon-like 

 retreat of the seed-down, others remaining without any such protection ; 

 and these assumed a reddish tinge during the winter " (" Entomolo- 

 gist," Vol. XXII., p. 36). I take it that they would hardly make 

 hybernacula of the seed-down in a state of nature as it usually falls off 

 the plant or gets blown away before the spring. 



Pupa — The larva pupates in the early spring after hybernation 



