37 
'xn- perhaps the best simile would be to say that they are not unhke the 
ashioned spectacle-cases, which are rather limp and open at both ends, 
^.ertainly, if I had found one of these cases at large, I should have taken xt for 
.se of an Mela or ^e..otois larva. On writing to Mr. De Grey, to mform h.m 
'e singular product from his Hyvericum larva., he reminded me of h.s own 
bus experience with the insect, intimating that the surprise I had then 
•ssed-savouring, perhaps, a little of incredulity-had induced him to search 
^e lai-vee this year in the same locality, and to hand them over to me. 
I had entirely forgotten the circumstance till he thus recalled it to my memozy, 
bn referring to his letter of October 2nd, 1867, 1 found the passage I have 
i.dy quoted. 
II hope my incredulity may always lead to such satisfactory results.-lD. 
[ 
\mtes on m earlier stages of TUecla ™bi.-On June 25th, 1868, having business 
a farmer at Haslemere, and not finding him at the house, I followed him to a 
Led corner of his farm, to a piece of rough pasture sloping down to a Mtle 
L. While talking with him, I swept the net across some plants of G^^sta 
La which grew there in abundance, and to my great surprise found m it a 
U onisciform larva, which I at once concluded to be that of Tl.ecla ruU. By 
kent sweeping on that and subsequent days, my brother and I obtamed some 
L of these larv^, some neaa-ly full grown, others quite small. In order to keep 
I food fresh as long as possible, I passed the'ends of the stems of a bunch of 
Lsta thi-ough the hole in the bottom of a large flower pot, and stood it over a 
sel of water, covering the top with gauze, and here the larv^ fed up rapidly m 
I blossoms. After some days, the bunch of food being nearly stripped, I took it 
i, to supply fresh, and then found that those larvsa which were full fed had nearly 
Iforced their way into the thickest part of the bunch of stems and there ay 
kout web or attachment of any kind ; others had hidden at the bottom of the 
and were also perfectly loose. The next bunch of stems was used in the same 
jy by the younger larvae as they fed up, simply forcing themselves into the 
^sest part. , , ^ i j.„ 
1 They seemed very hardy, one or two when shrivelled and almost ready o 
«ome pup^ were accidently dropped on the floor in removing their food, a mode 
: treatment that would be certain death to most larv., but they cast their skins 
though nothing had happened, and became as perfect pupa, as the rest, and m 
•at state appeared to be equally tough. a^^^Hv 
> By July 10th, three dozen had assumed the pupa state, and I confidently 
icpected an August brood, but to my great disappointment, not one appeared till 
ids spring. Being kept indoors, however, they have been emerging almost daily 
'nee April 20th. . , 
i They emerge about 9 o'clock a.m., and when just out, before the wings spread, 
how no trace of the lovely green colour of the under-side, that part being golden 
>rown like the upper-side ; as the wings spread, the green appears. Probably thi 
.rises fi-om the green scales being all edged with brown, and in the unexpanded 
,tate the edges alone being visible. This will account for the golden brown shade 
dsible over the green in some positions. 
