THE YOUNG NATUBALIST. 



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lata was accidentally described instead of the Lycana. This, however, is 

 only conjecture. Next we have Mr. Harding's reported discovery of the larva 

 on Herons-bill. It is to be regretted that Mr. Harding does not give the 

 scientific names of his plants. He calls it Herons-bill at first, giving the 

 proper name Erodium cicutarium, in the " Zoologist/' but in his last com- 

 munication on the subjects he calls it "Sea Cranes-Bill." Erodium is 

 generally called Herons or Storks-Bill, and various species of Geranium are 

 called Cranes- Bill. In many places Geranium sanguineum grows in the 

 same places as Helianthemum vulgare. In this part of the country we call 

 G. sanguineum the Bloody Geranium, but growing as it often does, on sea- 

 side sand banks, it is a very likely plant to be called the Sea Cranes-Bill. 

 On this plant 1 once found a larva of Agestis myself, but I do not believe it 

 was feeding upon it, but wandering about seeking a place for pupation. 

 Larvse sent out by Mr. Harding undoubtedly produced Hypera fasciculata, 

 and 1 have searched in vain for any record that he bred Agestis himself, or 

 that any one else ever did so from his larvae. I cannot but think he must 

 have done so himself, and again venture a conjecture to explain the difficulty. 

 My suggestion is that Mr. Harding among the CurcuCio larvse did get one or 

 more full-fed larvse of Agestis, that had wandered from their food seeking a 

 place to pupate ; that these producing the insect led to the assumption that 

 all were Agestis, But, thirdly, we have a statement by the late Edwd. New- 

 man that Mr. Young, of Edinburgh had eggs of Artaxerxes, the larvae from 

 which "preferred the leaves of the Scarlet Geranium to those of the Sun 

 Cistus." Again we are in doubt as to the plant meant by " the Scarlet Ger- 

 anium." If the young larvae preferred a geranium to the Helianthemum, it 

 would seem to be a natural food, but the record greatly wants confirmation. It 

 is certainly singular we have so many of these loose statements about a larva 

 that in this country has only been found to feed on Helianthemum, But the 

 most singular fact remains to be told. Professor Zeller, having found the larva 

 did feed on Erodium in Germany, desired to breed it on Helianthemum. The 

 late H. Doubleday sent him larvae feeding on the plant. There was abundant 

 proof from partially eaten leaves and frass that the larvae during their journey 

 had been eating the Helianthemum enclosed with them. On their arrival at 

 Meseritz, Professor Zeller supplied them with fresh food. This they refused 

 to eat, and actually died of starvation, rather than touch Helianthemum 

 grown on a German soil. I have always regretted he did not try them with 

 Erodium, for it seems to me a most inexplicable thing that these larvae would 

 not touch the German -grown Helianthemum. 



After this long account, I must condense my remarks as much as possible, 

 Agestis is double- brooded in England generally. In this northern district the 



