1880. 
157 
"w itli leaves of Teucrium scorodonia ; after a day or two I found the 
former had gnawed a little of the cuticle from the softest of the 
bramble leaves only, thus causing their white bodies to be very faintly 
tinged with greenish, while the latter had made holes quite through 
the leaves of Teucrium , and evidently liked their food so much better, 
that afterwards I kept all the larvae entirely on Teucrium , and they 
throve on it remarkably well ; but this food certainly seemed to 
influence their colouring, as they were all very much paler than the 
brood of last year, fed chiefly on other labiate plants. 
The larvae had constructed their first cases by 25th of June, and 
I noticed some of these, as well as one or two of a later period, varying 
from the usual pasty-shape, and having a more fusiform outline ; and 
for some time leaves of their food-plant furnished the materials, until 
by accident a piece of honeysuckle got introduced, and a case was cut 
from it ; after that I made trial of other leaves, until the preference 
seemed given to those of Rubus corylifolius , from which latterly all 
the cases were fabricated. 
Early in July I established the larvae in a large glass vessel 
holding plenty of Teucrium sprays standing upright, secured at the 
top with stout unbleached calico, an arrangement allowing me to 
watch, without disturbing the shy little creatures ; and I soon found 
their habit was to remain constantly hidden in the case, whether lying 
on the surface of a leaf, or hanging, as they would for hours, suspended 
from a leaf or a stem by a dirty-coloured thread half an inch or less 
in length ; and even when desirous of feeding they put forth their 
anterior segments only, for the purpose of reaching the part of the 
leaf they meant to attack, and then immediately, with a little jerk, 
pulled forward the case over the segments they had exposed in moving, 
and fed away as it were by stealth. 
Occasionally one could be seen attempting the difficult task of 
ascending the glass from the bottom, and of course often failing to 
secure a footing on the slippery surface ; but during these efforts, 
made with half its body exposed and stretched to the utmost extent, 
if it chanced to touch any part of the food plant for a foot-hold, the 
case would be quickly drawn up over it, a performance which reminded 
me vividly of an old acquaintance — the aquatic nymphcealis ; — but 
while thus engaged it would at the least alarm shoot back in an instant 
within the case, often causing it to fall lightly to the bottom, and 
there, lying perfectly still, it had the natural appearance of a mere 
fragment of leaf rubbish. 
