1889] 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



199 



which point backwards. When about to change to a pupa the larva 

 crawls to the top of the leaf, and spins across it numerous silken 

 threads, to which it attaches itself by the anal claspers ; and in this 

 position remains about two days. The colour gradually becomes 

 brown, and the skin assumes a shrivelled appearance before entering 

 into the pupal stage." 



Pupa — The pupa is of the same ground colour as the larva (green), 

 sprinkled with white spots, with rosy and purple tinted varieties. It 

 suspends itself among its food-plant by its anal segment. With regard 

 to the pupa, Mr. Moncreaff writes : — " The final change to a pupa is 

 gone through very suddenly ; a few minutes suffice to throw off the 

 old skin, which remains in a little heap on the leaf, and the pupa then 

 hangs freely suspended by the anal segments (or hooks ?). It is very 

 attenuated, and the points of the legs and wing-cases are free from 

 the body" (" Entomologist," Vol. V., p. 322.) 



Figures of the different stages of this species are given in the 

 February number of the " Entomologist," Vol. XVI. 



Habitat — The species appears to occur on the banks of almost all 

 tidal rivers, wherever the ground is at all marshy, and the Statice 

 limonium grows. I have rarely found a patch of Statice in such places 

 without finding bennetii. It occurs along the banks of the Thames and 

 Medway, and all the small tidal rivers around the Isle of Wight ; Mr. 

 Atmore records it from a Norfolk locality ("Entomologist," Vol. 

 XVIII., p. 172) ; and Mr. Robson informs me that it occurs near 

 Hartlepool, so that it must have a fairly extensive range in Britain. 

 Regarding the habitat of this species, Mr. H. Moncreaff (Portsmouth) 

 writes (" Entomologist," Vol. V., p. 321) : — "In June and July A gdistis 

 bennetii is very plentiful round our island, flying over the Statice limo- 

 nium, which grows abundantly in our salt marshes." It is almost use- 

 less searching for the imago during the day, as it is next to impossible 

 to dislodge them from the herbage where they rest. On the other 

 hand, at dusk, they appear simultaneously, numbers coming up from 

 the herbage, and taking short nights from flower to flower. This 

 continues till after dark, after which it is very slow work searching 

 for them, as they stand resting on the grass culms, flowers, or reeds 

 in the vicinity, with their wings rolled up as if to occupy the least 

 possible space. In the " Entomologist," Vol. XVI., p. 28, however, we 

 read: — " Mr. Carrington, who is familiar with the habits of A. bennetii, 

 in a state of nature, informs me that the perfect insects may be dis- 

 turbed from among the food-plants on the salt-marshes near the 

 estuaries of our rivers, throughout the day, especially during fine calm 



