THE SUBSTITUTE. 
143 
gray or dull colours. They live 
principally upon the Graminece or 
allied I'aniilies, of which they eat the 
lower leaves or roots. They care- 
fully conceal themselves during the 
day, and even retire into the stub- 
ble or cut steins, which has led to 
the belief that some of them were 
endophagous,but it is certain that, 
as in the case of some of the 
Leticanice, they merely seek a 
shelter there, and do not eat the 
inner substance. Besides, they 
never change to a chrysalis in the 
stem, and never construct private 
openings. 
The larva of lasilinea specially 
attacks our cereals, and sometimes 
I multiplies so as to occasion real 
1 havoc. The larva is developed in 
(the ear of the wheat, and passes 
1 there all its youth and even a part 
of its adult age: it is hatched in 
1 little families on a single ear, and 
'.the young larvae pierce the grains 
to feed on the farina, which at 
that period already commences to 
solidity. I have before me several 
icars thus attacked, of which all the 
ssubslauce has been eaten, although 
the covering of the grain and “ les 
balles” have remained untouched, 
excepting the little opening which 
has served to empty them. When 
the larva is too large to be con- 
tained in the grain, it thrusts itself 
between “ les balles” or the beards 
of the ear, and is then with difficulty 
distinguished, for it is nearly of 
the same colour. Now comes the 
period of harvest : the larva is then 
ccollected in the sheaf, and if we 
examine the floor of a barn at 
thrashing-time, vve see the larvar, 
driven from their retreat by the 
blows, walking about by the dozen. 
iThe tinm, however, is come when 
ttheir power of doing mischief is 
over: the grains become hard, and 
the cold of winter soon benumbs 
the larvar, which shelter themselves 
in summarily constructed cocoons, 
in order to pass the winter. As 
soon as spring arrives they change 
th eir m an n er of 1 i v i n g, a n d on ly at- 
tack roots or the lowermost leaves: 
they then increase in size, though 
very slowly, and it is only then 
that they assume the livery of 
AjtamecB, for previously one would 
take them for LeucanicB or young 
Dianthcecite, so true it is that the 
habits of the larvte exercise a 
powerful influence on their forms 
and colours. In the month of 
Mareh they bury themselves in the 
earth to change to chrysalides. I 
have dwelt at some length upon 
the history of Apamea basilinea, 
which, in the larva state, is little 
known, and which must, as we see, 
be counted amongst the number 
of enemies to our cereals. 
The perfect insects of this genus 
are of moderate size, dull colours 
and with tolerably sharp markings ; 
the stigmata are very distinct, often 
white or yellow, and the terminal 
pace behind the subterminal line, 
which is always more or less evi- 
dent, forms a dark patch, often 
divided into two dark spots. These 
Noctucp are particularly lively, and 
they fly at dusk with great ardour, 
— Vol. I. }>p. 204, 205. 
[To be continued.] 
Now ready, price 6d., No. 4 of 
I ? LEM ENTS OF ENTOMO- 
A LOGY : an Outline of the 
Natural History and Classifica- 
tion of British Insects. 
By W. S. Dallas, F.L S. 
Van Voorst, Paternoster Row. 
