424 
THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
on flower- or grass-stems, which have grown on the rocky 
faces of the mountains, particularly on the old flower-stalks 
of Scabiosa columbaria during wet seasons: they are at first 
light whitish yellow, but soon turn to purplish brown. The 
young larvae emerge in about three weeks, and eat almost 
anything grown near their birth-place, except Geranium 
sanguineum, Erodium cicutarium and E. rubrum : the plants 
preferred are Helianthemum vulgare, Sanguisorba officinalis, 
Thymus serpyllum, Myosotis, Anthriscus vulgaris or Sylves- 
tris, the Hieracia, Galium verum and G. mollugo, Solidago 
Virguarea, Campanula rolundifolia, Aira ca3spitosa and A. 
caerulea. In September and October the young larvae may be 
found, three to five together, sometimes more, in the old 
webs left by the larvae of Botys terrealis, on the flowering- 
spike of the golden-rod, and they are then from a quarter to 
three-eighths of an inch in length : the colour light green ; 
the segmental blotches, which afterwards become such dis¬ 
tinct black-velvety patches, are now scarcely visible as light 
patches. The larvae are difficult to keep alive through the 
winter. On warm February days, and on such days in 
March, they again commence eating, and spread out, and are 
then to be found on the under sides of stones, &c.; that is, by 
turning over the fragments of carboniferous limestone thrown 
down by the winter’s frosts from the rock-faces, we expect to 
find one larva on the average of every thousand stones turned. 
They are in March about half an inch long, rather stout, with 
a small, dark brownish head; the body is bright green, and 
the future blotches indistinct. Early in April they change 
the last skin but one, and then have a bright, large, Venetian- 
red head, and are very dark, almost black olive-green, with 
the segmental patches black and velvet-like; and from this 
period they agree with the description as referred to above. 
The food most preferred in confinement is male catkins of 
Salix caprea, and next the leaves: on this food they grow 
quickly to a large size, and produce beautifully bright lead- 
coloured moths, often having a dark broad band across the 
middle of the wing. The perfect insect comes to sugar in 
July; it comes late, like Mamestra furva; hence impatient 
collectors fail to get many, and those got at sugar are rarely 
fresh specimens; but good specimens can be taken sitting on 
grass-stems, and during the night by the aid of a lantern- 
