The Larvae of the British Butterflies and Moths Volume 2 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1887 edition. Excerpt: ...and quite filmy; this habit of making blotches in the large leaves they retain to the date of mypresent writing(15,10,86), but they also now apparently eat quite through the whole substance of the young leaves and their stems. They are at present on a growing plant of sorrel in a large flower-pot covered with leno, and I have no difficulty in getting a sight of some of them whenever the sun shines warm upon their dwelling. They have passed several moults, of which, however, I have not been able to keep an accurate account; they are now about 8 mm. in length. As far as I have been able to make observation, the moulting is effected in the usual way through an opening in the front of the old skin near the head. I may add that I have taken a feeding larva from off his sorrel leaf, and shut him up with a spray of rockrose, Helianihemum vulgare, but he would not touch it for food. The little batch contained four rows of eggs, five or six in a row, arranged not very regularly on their flat sides; the egg is in form oblong and flattened, being about 85 mm. long, 5 mm. wide, and 25 mm. deep, with the ends rather rounded, and the upper side somewhat sunken; the shell is wrinkled longitudinally and rather shining; the colour at first is light yellow; this becomes paler, and at last the head of the larva shows at one end as a dusky spot. The larva frees itself by eating out one end, but leaves the empty shell otherwise untouched. "When first hatched it is barely over 1 mm. in length, of a fat, stumpy, even figure; the trapezoidal dots can be seen both placed on a slanting raised tubercle, each dot bearing one long stiff hair; the colour a full yellow, the small head looks as if yellow beneath with a glossy black tinge over. In a week's time they are...