200 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



SMERINTHUS OPHTHALMICUS, BD. 



In the July number of Can. Ent., page 143, Prof. French described 

 the larval stages of this species but did not observe the egg and first stage. 

 These I can supply, as follows : — 



Egg. — Elliptical, flattened above and below, smooth, slightly shiny ; 

 colour probably green. Under the microscope it is seen to be covered 

 with crowded minute shallow depressions. Dimensioni^, 2.0 x 1.8 x 1.3 

 mm. Laid singly on under surface of leaf 



First Larval Stage.— Yltdid rounded, slightly bilobed, not pointed 

 as in the next stage, green, slightly shiny, and dotted with yellow, but not 

 granulated, with a curved yellow line from before the eyes on each side, 

 meeting each other below the vertex. Antennae and labrum white ; jaws 

 and ocelli black. Width, i mm. Body annulated, minutely pilose and 

 dotted with yellow, with a distinct pale yellow subdorsal line and oblique 

 lateral lines on joints 5-12, occurring above and below the subdorsal line, 

 but dislocated, except on joint 12 where a single distinct line runs to the 

 base of the horn. Horn minutely pilose, dark red, pale at base, 2 mm 

 long. 



The second stage is as described by Prof. French ; width of head, 

 1.5 mm. 



Food /y^/;/.— Poplar {Populus). Larvae from Mariposa County, 

 California. Harrison G. Dyar. 



CORRESPONDENCE 



melit/ea phaeton. 



Sir, — While spending a few days in Ottawa, during July of last year, 

 I was fortunate enough to find a batch of the larva? of Melitcea phaeto}i, 

 which composed a large colony in their tent-like web upon the tip of a 

 robust stem of Chelone glabra, which is their favorite food plant in that 

 district. I was anxious to breed the species, so boxed the whole colony 

 and brought it back with me to Port Hope. Here, however, I could not 

 find any plants of Chelone glabra. Upon turning up Scudder's " New 

 England Butterflies,'' I found that honeysuckle, Lonicera, was given as a 

 food plant. I first offered the larvae leaves of trumpet honeysuckle, ob- 

 tained from a neighbour ; but, as this was not convenient, I resolved to 

 try them on Tartarian honeysuckle, of which an abundance grew in the 



