76 Second Report on Economic Zoology. 
the female of lapidella is not fertilised she dies, but the female 
ferchaultella lays fertile eggs without connection with any male. 
The eggs are placed in the empty pupa skin inside the case. As many 
as fifty may be placed in one case ; they are pale yellowish white in 
colour and irregularly oval in form. The case varies much in colour, 
depending upon the lichens upon which the larva feeds ; it is made of 
lichen, silk, etc., including grains of sand and mortar. The larva 
which lives in the case crawls freely about. They especially inhabit 
old walls and rocks, and spin a good deal of silk as they move about 
(only at certain times however). When the larva is nearly ready to 
pupate it fastens the wide open end of the case to the surface of the 
lichens or wall and covers the opening with silk. The larva mainly 
feeds on the whitish lichen known as Pleurococcus vulgaris, etc. The 
larva pupates in the case and hatches into the adult in June and 
July. 
The Common Footman Moth. 
( Lithosia complanula.) 
The Common Footman Moth ( Lithosia comjplanula) is sometimes 
sent by fruit-growers with enquiries as to its economy. As the larvae 
feed only on lichens on walls and poplar trees, they are of no great 
economic importance. The larvae occur in May and J une ; they are 
black in colour, unspotted, with a narrow reddish-yellow stripe from 
the fifth to the eleventh segments just above the feet. They are 
found in old fruit orchards, where they probably have been feeding 
on the lichens on old apple trees, or else on the same lichens that 
frequently grow on garden walls. 
Another Orchid Pest. 
Some orchid pests sent to the Museum proved to be Collembola ; 
they were too poor in condition to make out definitely, but they 
were species of Orchesella. A correspondent referred to by the 
sender w r as probably Mr. Coleman, of Gatton Park, whose orchids 
have been attacked by these spring-tails (of more than one genus) ; 
notes on this appeared in the First Report on Economic Zoology. 
It is the only record of orchids being damaged by Collembola, but 
lots of other hothouse plants are infested by them. 
