i 3 o THE YOUNG NATURALIST. [July 



lepidopterists. As far back as ' Entomologist,' Vol. VI., p. 427, Mr. 

 Gregson recorded the breeding of a "plume" moth from a "larva 

 found feeding in or under the woolly side of a coltsfoot leaf " in Wales. 

 He, however, failed to identify it, and 1 Entomologist,' XVIII., p. 

 151, suggested that this moth was P. farfarella, Zell., a suggestion 

 which led to a great deal of discussion " Entomologist," XVIII., pp. 

 169-172, and pp. 195-196. It had been well known for years that the 

 species was double-brooded (" Entomologist," XIII., p. 283) and 

 that the early brood fed in the capitula of T. far far a, but since the 

 plant blossoms only in early spring, it was clearly impossible that the 

 second brood could feed in the same manner. However, in May, my 

 little son collected a large number of the flower heads of T. far far a, 

 from which I bred a large number of specimens of P. gonodactyla 

 during June. I then potted up plants of T. farfara on which I placed 

 several pairs of newly emerged P. gonodactyla. From these I obtained 

 a considerable number of ova, which produced larvae, these fed up on 

 the under surface of the leaves and from them I bred a considerable 

 number of imagines in September. A full account of the result of 

 this experiment is given in (" Entomologist's Monthly Magazine," 

 Vol. XV., pp. 104-105). The larvae of this second brood are, taken 

 as a whole, rather less variable than those of the first brood. It must 

 be noticed, also, that the larvae of this species provide themselves 

 with cocoons to pupate in ; those of the first brood, generally, among 

 the florets on the capitula ; while the cocoons of the second brood are 

 generally, in the form of flat web-like structures, placed on the under- 

 surface of the leaves, where they are not very conspicuous, being very 

 flat, and the silk well mixed with the white epidermis of the under- 

 surface of the leaves. Stainton in the "Manual," Vol. II., p. 441, 

 says of the larva : — " In the flower-stems of coltsfoot ; March and 

 April." 



Pupa. — The pupae like the larvae vary very much in colour and 

 markings. In the " Entomologist's Monthly Magazine," Vol. XXV., 

 pp. 106-107, I described four varieties which were as follows : — 



(1) . " Ground colour pinkish, with dark reddish dorsal and sub- 

 dorsal stripes, with the wing-cases darker and striated all over with 

 fine longitudinal black lines, generally, but not always, with black 

 spiracles. 



(2) . Ground colour grey, with dorsal and sub-dorsal lines, and 

 wing cases, as in var. 1, but the spiracles always very indistinct. 



