THE "YOUNG NATURALIST. 



311 



is evidently an error, for Euphorbia cou'd 

 not well be found in the larva state in the 

 month of June. It is not very clear which 

 species is meant as being found in the larva 

 state, but the Euphorbia must have been so, 

 as they were bred, while the Pinastri was 

 "taken." The larvae of neither could have 

 been found in June. 



Habitat. — Very rare in this country. 

 " Scarborough ; formerly taken by Mr. Rad- 

 don at Braunton Burrows, near Bideford." 

 — Stainton's Manual. " It feeds on the Sea 

 spurge at Appledore and Braunton Burrows, 

 near Barnstaple, where it was found by the 

 late Mr. Raddon in abundance many years 

 ago. The perfect insect has never been 

 found in this country. "--Newman. " Devon- 

 shire, Yorkshire, Hants, Essex." — O.Wilson. 

 It will be observed that it is only recorded 

 as a coast insect in this country. On the 

 continent it is not uncommon throughout 

 Central and Southern Europe, and extends 

 also into Asia Minor. 



As considerable interest attaches to so 

 rare a species, it may be worth while to 

 mention the earlier records of its occurrence 

 in England. Drury appears to have been 

 the first to figure it, which he does as a 

 foreign insect (" Illustrations on Natural 

 History," 1770-75, Tab. 29, Fig. 3.) Harris 

 (" The Aurelian," 1778, Plate 44), says " It 

 has been long in dispute whether the 

 Spotted Elephant was a native of this 

 Island; but it now past a doubt, as I have 

 had the good fortune to find a caterpillar of 

 this moth, in marshy ground at Barncray, 

 near Crayford, in Kent, about the middle 

 of August {1778); it was better than three 

 inches long, of a dark brown colour ; the 

 horn at the tail part, which was about half 

 an inch long, appeared long and glossy. The 

 head was nearly the size of a small pea, of a 

 lightish yellow, brown, or tan colour. I 

 tried various herbs to bring it to feed, but 

 my attempts were fruitless, and it died for 

 want." Donovan pointed out that Harris's 



figure did not agree with either his figure or 

 that of Rcesel (Plate i. Tab. 3.) Curtis 

 afterwards suggested that this larvae was 

 not Euphorbioe, but Galii. Donovan figures 

 the larva, pupa, and imago, but says that 

 the particular larva figured could not be 

 guaranteed to be British, He states, how- 

 ever, that " a damaged specimen of the fly 

 has been taken at Bath, and is in our 

 cabinet " ; which Newman must have over- 

 looked when he said it had never been 

 found in England. In 1824, Curtis gave a 

 beautiful figure of the larva and imago, that 

 of the larva being from a specimen found 

 by Mr. Radden, at Braunton Burrows. 

 These were found feeding on E.paralias. 

 Curtis also says " when more advanced 

 they became so conspicuous, that their 

 numbers are reduced by marine birds which 

 feed upon them." Newman is probably 

 referring to this statement when he says 

 " it becomes a most beautiful object, and so 

 conspicuous as to attract the sea-gulls and 

 terns, which devour them in numbers." In 

 strange contradiction to these statements, 

 Kirby (" European Butterflies and Moths," 

 p. 70), says, " The larva is seldom attacked 

 by birds, to some at least of which, it 

 appears to be poisonous." It is now well 

 known that gaily coloured larvae are often 

 distasteful to birds and other insectivorous 

 animals. 



Variation. — Two varieties are named 

 in Staudinger. Paralias, Nick, which i 

 redder than the type, and Esula, marked 

 with doubt as from Southern Italy. The 

 names given to these varieties suggest the 

 idea that they are supposed to have fed on 

 the spurges so called. I have heard of no 

 British variety, except that named in the 

 quotation from the Ehtomologist. Certainly 

 no two specimens are exactly alike, varying 

 slightly in the extent of the markings, cr 

 depth of colour, and it is quite likely th.it 

 well marked forms occur where it is abun- 

 dant. 



