202 
LYCAENIDAE 
nearing the base again, break up into irregular cells. The 
ground surface is finely granular. At first, the colour is a 
clear bluish-green-white, which gradually fades until just 
before hatching, when it is wholly whitish. Upon hatching, 
the larva rapidly eats away the crown and emerges, when it 
at once is very active, crawling rapidly for such a tiny object. 
The egg state lasts seven days. 
Larva. Soon after hatching, the young larvae enter the 
calyces of the flower-buds and feed on the base of the petals, 
also they bore into the centre of the buds, through the petals, 
leaving only a minute hole where they enter. After the first 
moult, they are great cannibals and very active. After the 
second moult, they bore into the Pea pods and feed on the 
young Peas ; they also feed on various parts of the blossoms. 
After the third and last moult, the larvae attain full growth ; 
they then measure, while extended, crawling, iq mm. in length. 
The body is less arched than in most Lycaena larvae, gradually 
decreasing posteriorly, where it is compressed. 
The segments are rather humped on the back, but there is 
no longitudinal furrow ; the first segment is rounded and 
projecting, and the last segment much flattened ; the head 
is amber-brown in colour and highly polished. The colour of 
the body varies from grass-green to pale ochreous-green, and 
some specimens are of an olive hue. All the markings agree 
in tone with the ground colour ; a dark band extends along 
the back, and a series of oblique wavy stripes, three on each 
segment, cover the side ; a pale yellowish lateral stripe extends 
along the sides and round both ends. On the first segment is 
a sunken dorsal disc, and a well-developed honey-gland (vide 
M. arion) on the tenth segment, also a retractile tubular 
tentacle on each side of the eleventh segment behind and 
below the spiracle. The whole of the dorsal surface is clothed 
with minute serrated spines, each rising from a star-rayed 
base. When ready for pupation, the larva assumes a dull 
lilac-pink hue. The last stage of the larva is only eight days. 
During this stage it greedily feeds on Garden Peas, boring 
through the pod, living inside and devouring the fruit ; if 
the pod is opened, the larva spins a delicate but dense web 
over the aperture. 
When ready to pupate, the larva generally selects a 
