Wat Canabian (Kntomoloqtst 



VOL. VIII. LONDON, ONT., NOVEMBER, 1876. No. 11 



AN EXPERIMENT- WITH A STINGING LARVA. 



BY MISS MARY E. MURTFELDT, KIRKWOOD, ST. LOUIS, MO. 



There is not in the whole group of caterpillars a more innocent and 

 harmless-looking object than the larva of Lagoa opercularis — especially- 

 just previous to the fourth moult. As it reposes curled upon a leaf, with 

 its long, wavy, white silken hairs the sport of the slightest zephyr, it 

 resembles nothing so much as a tuft of the finest white cotton, and seems 

 almost to invite the touch of caressing fingers. But let the unwary beware 

 of meddling with that treacherous softness ; they will find it a veritable 

 11 wolf in sheep's clothing !" 



I had upon several occasions tested upon my hands the prickles of 

 various stinging larvae, such as Empretia stimulea, Callochlora viridis, 

 Saturnia io and S. maia, &c, without incurring more than a temporary 

 smart, which, if severe, could be allayed by alkaline applications, as 

 ammonia or a solution of soda. This being the case. I did not hesitate 

 to undertake a similar experience with the larva of Lagoa, and one evening 

 suffered the larva to be struck sharply against the little finger of my right 

 hand, between the first and second joints. I felt the prickles pierce the 

 skin, but for some time the irritation was but slight. As the evening 

 advanced, however, the pain became severe and was accompanied by 

 considerable inflammation and swelling of the finger. I then thought it 

 advisable to apply some remedy, and tried first soda and then ammonia, 

 but without the expected relief. I next resorted to arnica and camphor 

 and finally to acids, but all in vain ; the burning pain — exactly as though 

 I held my finger against glowing coals — seemed rather to increase than 

 diminish, and I felt that for once I was indeed a martyr to the desire (not 

 my own, by the way !) for experimental knowledge. A night of sleept.ess 

 suffering followed., and it was not until near morning that the pain sub- 

 sided. No ill consequences followed except the peeling of the skin from 



