MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 133 



commonest birds in the higher valleys near Sonamarg during the summer. 

 They did not begin to breed till the middle of July, and I fortunately secured 

 several nests at an elevation of 12,000 to 13,000 feet. The nest is made of 

 grass, and lined with horsehair and a few feathers : it is placed in a hole 

 under a rock, and the tunnel leading to the nest is sometimes as much as 2 feet 

 long ; in two instances the holes were like those made by a rat in open flat 

 ground. The eggs, generally four and sometimes three in number, are pure 

 white with considerable gloss, and are somewhat pointed at the smaller end: 



average size '82" x - 5 ( J". 



KENNETH BUCHANAN, Major, 



4th Sikhs. 



Srinagar, December, 1902. 



No. Ill— NOTES ON A FEW CATERPILLARS OF 

 INDIAN SPHINGID^l. 



1. Acherontia lachesis. — A larva found in Poona in October 1898 had the 

 ground-colour a bright gamboge yellow instead of green : this tint may have 

 just been assumed preparatory to pupation as the insect was full-grown, but 

 it did not cease feeding until 3 days after being found. 



2. Polyplychus dentatus. — Hampson describes the larva as "green, with 

 yellow marks down the back, outlined in pink, &c/' Two specimens obtained 

 in August 1898 and a third in October of the same year in Poona, had no 

 trace of pink or yellow on the back which was of a uniform bright green, 

 while the sides were dull green in ground-colour. Others obtained from eggs 

 and fed on the same plant had the normal pink and yellow markings. 



3. Chcerocampa theylia. — Three forms of this larva are given in Hampson's 

 book ; I bred a number of the first of these here in Sadra last September. In 

 my experience the brown colour was only assumed in the final stage and not 

 always then, the larva being invariably green in the earlier stages and some- 

 times in the last stage also : the green had occasionally a pink tinge. The 

 pupa very long for the size of the moth. 



4. Chcerocampa celerio. — My experience of this caterpillar does not at all 

 accord with Hampson's description, i.e., "Brown: a seriesof whitish ocelli with 

 darker centres from 4th to 10th somites ; horn and underside white. " In 

 September 1900 near Palanpur I found two forms: the first, of which I obtain- 

 ed several specimens, feeding on 3 different plants (one the grape-vine), was 

 green, with 2 ocelli only, one on the 4th, and a smaller one on the 5th somite. 

 The second form, of which I obtained one specimen at Palanpur and have 

 bred another this year in Sadra, was brownish purple in colour with numerous 

 dark strigas On the dorsal area, a paler broad lateral stripe, pale sub-dorsal line 

 from 1st to 4th somites; 2 ocelli, as in the green form, on the 4th and 5th so- 

 mites, the first and larger one being yellow with dark centre flecked with 

 blue; legs and horn crimson. I do not profess to know much about Indian, 

 moths, but the perfect insect produced from both the above forms of larva 



