208 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



humuli, moving with great regularity, and 

 remaining exactly at the same place for a 

 considerable time. The effect of this would 

 be that the odour would become gradually 

 diffused for some distance, and readily 

 perceptible to the sensitive organs of these 

 little creatures. By the male remaining 

 exactly at the same place, it will be easy for 

 the female to follow the scent to the source 

 from whence it emanates, which she would 

 scarcely be able to do, were he to fly much 

 about, If the conjectures as to this species 

 and htmuli be correct, we have a wonderful 

 instance of similarity of habit in two species 

 operating in different ways to the same 

 result. The female humuli finding the male 

 by sight, while the female hectus finds her 

 partner by scent. Like Sylvinus, I have 

 found hectus at rest on tree trunks in the 

 day-time. 



Hectus has the forewings rather bright 

 golden brown, with the pale markings more 

 broken into spots than most of the others. 

 It is the smallest of the British species, 

 expanding less than an inch. The female is 

 larger, but not much ; like the others it is 

 duller coloured, and scarcely so densely 

 scaled, but it is better marked than the 

 females of the preceding species. 



The life history of the species has been 

 elucidated by Mr. Bucker with his usual 

 care, and is given in full in Vol. V. of the 

 Entomologists' Monthly Magazine, from 

 which I make the following extracts: — 

 " The young larva is hatched about the 

 middle of July and is then of a drab colour, 

 with brown head, and plates on the second 



and anal segments It burrows in the 



lower part of the stem, and feeds on the 

 root of Pteris aquilina, and grows but slowly 

 during its first season. When a year old, it 

 makes good progress, and by or before the 

 end of its second autumn it has apparently 

 attained its full dimensions ; it then ceases 

 to feed, and quits the root, not, however, 

 going beyond two or three inches from it,. 



and there in the earth remains dormant 

 until the following spring. In April it re- 

 commences feeding and continues to about 

 the end of May or beginning of June, ac- 

 cording to the locality and season, though 

 not feeding in the root as before, but attack- 

 ing the young shoots of the fern ; — the parts 

 bitten are oval excavations about fire or six 

 lines long in a vertical direction and from 

 two to three lines broad, and hence consid- 

 erable exudation of sap ensues, which pro- 

 bably forms part of the sustenance of the 

 larva, as at this time it is found quite wet 

 and the stem and soil are even saturated. 

 At the end of May or early in June it is full 

 fed ; leaves the fern ; and just on the sur- 

 face of the earth, amongst dead leaves, and 

 often under moss, spins an oblong cocoon ^ 

 lined with silk and covered with light vege- 

 table or earthy matter. It remains but a 

 short time in the pupa state, as the perfect 

 insect is disclosed during the month of 

 June." The larva is pale drab in colour 

 with dark brown head, and similarly colour- 

 ed plates on the second, third, fourth, and 

 anal segments. "The third and fourth 

 have each a transverse, dorsal, narrow, 

 oblong plate in front, and a very small one 

 on each side below it ; and a little further 

 back, on each side, is a drop-shaped plate, 

 and just above the legs an oval or circular 

 one." The aversion of this larva to light, 

 or to being touched is noticed by Mr. 

 Bucker in the same article, and he also 

 remarks on its ability to move backwards, 

 which I have also observed in larvae of 

 Jiumuli. 



Hectus is generally distributed through 

 the British Isles, but is more local in Scot- 

 land and Ireland. The character of its habi- 

 tat may be gathered from the food plant, but 

 it seems rather partial to open places in 

 woods. Abroad, it occurs in Central and 

 Northern Europe, but not reaching very far 

 north, except in Finland ; it is also found 

 in Asia in the valley of Amour. 



