6o 
SATYRIDAE 
it off upon emerging. Directly it is out it feeds on this 
empty shell, sometimes devouring all but the base. After 
the meal, it apparently immediately enters into hibernation, 
and takes up its position without further attempting to feed. 
The larvae only select the dead, withered, buff-coloured grass 
stems and blades, which they very closely resemble in colour. 
Out of a great number of larvae under observation, I have 
never seen one resting on a 
green grass blade, but always 
on the buff or ochreous ones, 
the colour of themselves, al¬ 
though both the dead and 
^ living blades were intermingled. 
; The little larvae obviously pos- 
: ly sess a sense enabling them to 
: /'u select the grass similar to their 
V; YV own colouring as a protective 
rXf resemblance. 
After their short winter sleep, 
lj * they start feeding as early as 
January in mild weather, when 
' they appear to prefer Sheep's 
' Fescue Grass (Festuca ovina). 
'i They feed by day, and rest in 
'F' a straight attitude on the grass 
stems, and do not crawl away 
to the base of the stems to hide 
as most night-feeding larvae do. 
This larva only moults three 
times and when about 330 to 340 days old it is fully grown 
and measures 28 mm. long. The head is rather large and 
globular, is thickly studded with minute white warts, each 
bearing a fine white hair. The body tapers at each end, the 
anal segment terminates in two diverging points. The ventral 
surface is very flat. The ground colour varies from pale 
yellowish-flesh colour to pale green, and is occasionally grass- 
green. Down the middle of the back is a dark stripe, bordered 
on each side by a creamy-white line, then there is a sub-dorsal 
