258 
LYCAENIDAE 
The egg is 0*60 mm. wide and 0*30 mm. high. It is of a 
compressed spherical form, sunken in the centre and flattened 
at the base, with a bold cellular surface resembling honeycomb, 
but rather irregular in pattern. The colour.is greenish-grey- 
white, and remains unchanged. The egg state lasts six days. 
Upon hatching, the little larva eats a circular hole out of the 
crown and emerges. 
Larva. As soon as hatched, the larva at once starts feeding 
on the cuticle of the leaf, eating out a small groove just the 
width of its body. ‘In this depression it rests in a straight 
position, exactly filling it, its back being on a plane with the 
surface of the leaf, and the lateral hairs of its body surrounding 
it lie flat on the surface. After a few meals, lengthening the 
channel each time, the larva crawls out to another part and 
eats a fresh groove. It repeats this time after time, so that 
soon the leaf is covered with tiny transparent channels. It 
is not until after the second moult that the larva starts feeding 
on the whole substance of the leaf, thereby perforating it. 
When fully grown, after the fourth moult, the larva measures 
15*90 mm. in length. The body is very convex above, both 
the first and last segments are flattened, rounded and pro¬ 
jecting ; the lateral ridge is dilated ; the under surface is 
flat, hiding the legs and claspers while at rest. The head is 
completely hidden within the first segment and only protruded 
when crawling or feeding. The colour is rather dark clear 
green, some specimens being tinged with yellowish-green. 
The entire surface is sprinkled with minute white warts, also 
with rather short stiff reddish-brown hairs. The head is pale 
olive marked with black. Such is the description of the 
uniformly-green form, which is the most common. Some 
specimens are striped with pink, one being medio-dorsal and 
one lateral. In these specimens the claspers are rose-pink. 
Both forms of colouring occur after the first moult. The 
larva does not eat its cast skin after any moult. The larval 
stage of hibernating larvae occupies 160 days. The food 
plants are Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) and different species 
of Dock. 
Pupa. The pupa is dumpy and stout in proportion to its 
length, and measures 10*50 mm. long. The head is rounded ; 
the thorax has a slight dorsal angle, slightly sunken at the 
