HABITS AND BREEDING OF MICRO-LEPIDOPTEEA, 

 By J. H. Threlfall. 

 (Concluded.) 



It is a little curious to observe that those larvae which feed the most 

 exposed in sunlight should engross so little of the notice of these their 

 most determined enemies. It may be on account of their slightly- 

 hairy appearance, or perhaps it may be surmised that hidden and 

 poisonous qualities exist, against the use of which Nature has placed 

 the unerring guide of instinct. 



Having thus noticed in a very sketchy manner some of the more 

 general modes of feeding pursued by the micro-lepidoptera, it will next 

 be advisable in a few words to say what is the best plan of saving their 

 life, and eventually in a state of artificial confinement to produce from 

 the immature stages of larva and pupa the more perfect and beautiful 

 form of the imago. And in this, as in other sciences in which Nature 

 is our teacher, it will be found best to follow her example as closely as 

 possible, and to preserve in temperature, in moisture, and in exclusion 

 of all causes of disturbance, those conditions which are the most favour- 

 able in a wild state ; here will be the difficulty to all except those who 

 have plenty of room, good air, and light. For in every instance where 

 a new larva is met with, to make sure of bringing it to its perfect state 

 it will be found the best to take the plant on which it feeds, and let all 

 grow together in a flower-pot, over which glass or gauze should be 

 placed to prevent escape. In this way I have eight larvse of Goleophora 

 Wockeella feeding on Betonica officinalis ; they are exposed in the 

 garden, and at one time during the winter the pot was completely 

 covered with a drift of snow. Of course only rare larvae need be 

 treated this way, as the others may be bred with less risk of a 

 good result in other ways. In the case of trees such as the oak being 

 the food-plant, small twigs placed in a bottle and kept in a cool place 

 out of doors, will be found to answer. The Coleophorae are so difficult 

 to rear in any other way, that it is by far the best to adopt one of these 

 plans, and not to trust to those mentioned later. 



For the shoot-feeders, if care be taken to slightly dry the leaves, a 

 fair proportion of insects may be bred by placing the larvae in jam pots 

 or flower pots whose rims have been rubbed level to admit of their 

 being covered by a closely-fitting piece of glass. These should be 

 looked at every day, and shaken up so that damp and mould may be 

 kept at a distance, as these are the greatest dangers to guard against. 



N. S., Vol. iv., Dec, 1878. 



