52 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March, 



Pin Oak, which they fed on readily, and I succeeded in getting several 

 imagos. From a pair of these I started the second brood, now knowing 

 the food-plant I lost none by starvation. During the latter part of July I 

 had 133 larva between the second and third moults; my breeding-box was 

 covered with wire, such as is used for window-screens, etc., and was 

 placed near an open window, on the second floor, facing West. During 

 the afternoon a terrific thunder storm raged, the lightning vivid and close. 

 During the storm I went to close the window when I found a number of 

 the larva hanging limp and dead over the boughs of the food. After the 

 storm I took from the cage 71 dead larva. The rest appeared all right, 

 but somewhat sluggish for a day or so; during the early part of August, 

 and between the third and fourth moult, we had a similar storm, with the 

 same effect on the larva, for, on the next day, I found all dead but 13, 

 which I succeeded in raising to imagines. Two years ago I was raising a 

 brood of Telea polyphemus, which you notice is closely allied to the for- 

 mer, when the same phenomena took place, and I lost nearly all the 

 brood. Was it the electricity, the heavy thunder claps, or natural causes? 

 Has any entomologist had similar experience with other species? 



JAMES S. JOHNSON. 



THE larvae of the Papilio anchisiades live on the lime or orange trees, 

 which they do a good deal of harm to. When young they are of a dirty 

 yellowish red color, glossy and quasi-transparent; when full grown they 

 are about two inches long, of a dark brown color with irregular markings 

 of cream color. I captured a group of ten on the iSth of July, 1889, on 

 the leaves of a 'lime tree, the branch having over 100 leaves. I cut this 

 branch from the trunk of the tree, placed it in my breeding cages at six 

 P.M.; revisited it on the next day and found only the bare stalks of the 

 branch, all of the leaves having been consumed. The larvse feed at night, 

 and in the day are seen grouped together in various numbers one over 

 the other; when disturbed, like all caterpillars of the genus Papilio, they 

 emit two horns from the ring immediately preceding the head, which is 

 the thoracic portion of the future adult, giving off at the same time a most 

 infectious smell. I always thought that this smell emanated from the 

 protrusion of the horns, but I noticed that at that moment of throwing 

 them off, they discharged a greenish liquid from their mouths which I as- 

 certained to be the substance that smelled. I fed them up to the i6th of 

 August, when they were transformed into chrysalids. In this stage they 

 are very much, both in color and shape, like a piece of decayed wood. 

 The caterpillar before completing its transformation spends about 24 hours 

 motionless on the spot where it is to effect the change, fixes itself tightly 

 with a gummy substance by the anus; then provides two strings which 

 are passed higher up, and, as soon as ready, lets go the place where it 

 held with its legs, and the wonderful motionless, though living insect, lays 

 there at an angle of 45 for 17 days, for on the 2d of September I contem- 

 plated the marvellous metamorphosis. There was the Papilio anchisiades 

 weak and almost helpless for about three hours, but soon to be seen flit- 

 ting about the lime tree. H. CARACCIOLO, Trinidad. 



