286 BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



tive resemblance, in the one instance to the leaf, in the other to the 

 flower-bud of the food plant. Our specimens, it will be observed, 

 chose positions in which such protective resemblance could have 

 no value. We thought the difference in colour might possibly be 

 due to a difference in the light, as the chrysalis in the darker 

 position, attached to the brown opaque body, was the darker in 

 colour, while that in the lighter position, attached to the white 

 transparent curtain, was itself almost white.* The point would 

 seem to be worth further careful investigation. That light has 

 an effect on animal coloration as well as vegetable is beyond a 

 question. This effect in insect life would appear to be illustrated 

 by a gradual change from pale cream colour to orange of the 

 lighter-coloured portions of the wing of Papilio erithonius. 



Of the eleven months, one, the " death's-head " already mentioned, 

 belonged to the family Splringidce, and four tussore moths (Satumia 

 mylitta to Bombycidoe. The remaining six belonged to two species, 

 one to the first and five to the second, which we have been unable to 

 determine. 



Death' s-Head. — We have not named this specimen, as it differs 

 so much in size, and in some respects in appearance, from others 

 in our collection. The caterpillar was found on a Caladium leaf in 

 our garden on 17th September. It was then about three inches 

 long, smooth, of a grass green colour, with seven whitish diagonal 

 lines each side. At the head end it had two peacock blue eyes 

 in yellow spectacles, at the tail end a fulvous tentacle. It had its 

 first encounter with the caterpillars of Danais chrt/sippus on 19th 

 September, and its second on the 24th. On the 25th we found it 

 trying to bury itself, and suspended it from the roof of the 

 cage as already described. There we left it when we started for 

 Mahableshwar on 11th October, but found on the 27th that the 

 moth had emerged in the interval. In general appearance it 

 resembled the largest specimen of the family {Acheroniix sti/x) in 

 our collection, that is to say, its forewings were of a dark mottled 

 brown, paling to yellowish, faintly clouded with white at the tips, 

 and its hind wings were yellow, marked with brown, while its body 

 was dark purple with a narrow longitudinal streak of yellow on each 

 side, an six black transverse rings. But it was far inferior in size, 



* This theory would seem to derive some support from a beautiful experiment 

 by Mr. Poulton in 1887, showing that the bright surroundings of larvce kept in a gilt- 

 lined box fav-ur the production of golden pupa;. 



