1890.] 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



129 



large number of the second brood of gonodactyla from larvae feeding in 

 the way Mr. South ascribed to P, farfarella, vide (''Entomologist's 

 Monthly Magazine,' Vol. XXV., pp. 104-105. 



The larvae of the early brood of this species feed inside the flower 

 stalks and capitula of T. favfara and may be found as soon as the 

 capitula are well developed. In the ' Entomologist,' Vol. XX., pp. 

 211-212, I wrote of this early brood : — The larva, which has in its 

 earlier stages a very curious Tortrix-like form, wriggles up and down 

 the peduncle or flower stalk. I have watched the larva very closely 

 and have come to the conclusion that it does not feed either on, or in 

 the seed-heads, but that it feeds on the soft cellular tissure inside the 

 peduncle. During its earlier stages it lives inside the flower stalk, 

 never coming out, but as it gets older it finds its way up into the hol- 

 low receptacle which forms the base of the capitulum. When this 

 gets too small it gnaws a little hole through the receptacle, and con- 

 structs a little home for itself, made up of the achenes with the attached 

 pappus, spun together with silk, just above the hole. The larva, 

 living in this, descends when feeding, through the hole, and gradually 

 clears out all the cellular tissure below, but that it does not feed on 

 the achenes, I feel convinced. There is no doubt that the peculiar 

 domicile it constructs, has led to the probably erroneous opinion that 

 the larva feeds there. An infested flower-head can easily be recog- 

 nised by the peculiar bunch forming this house standing isolated on 

 the stalk whilst the surrounding achenes have been blown away. It 

 is a mistake, too, to think that the infested heads generally hang over; 

 a few do so, undoubtedly. This, I think, is due to the larva, when 

 feeding inside, clearing out too much of the cellular tissue on one side, 

 and eating through to the epidermal tissue, which contracts, and 

 hence pulls down the capitulum ; but in nine cases out of ten, the in- 

 fested heads are more upright than the uninfested ones. I may add 

 that the larvse choose few but the strongest heads. I have already 

 bred imagines from larvae found on May 13th ; the pupal stage only 

 lasting from May 21st, to June 5th. I should like to know whether 

 any entomologist has ever observed the larva actually eating the 

 achenes or pappus." No suggestion was obtained in response to this 

 appeal and I still think the above is the real way in which the larva 

 feeds, although they may eat the corollas of the florets, in addition, 

 when they leave the receptacle. But this species is double- 

 brooded, and until 1888 the feeding of the second brood had puzzled 



