THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 127 



Soon after the larvae reached this stage they stopped feeding, and 

 within a week all had died. No disease could be detected among them. 

 They simply refused all food offered them, and acted as if they wanted to 

 hibernate. The heads of the four larvie mentioned above, which died 

 during their journey to Ottawa, measure 2.2 mm., 2.2 mm., 2.3 mm. and 

 2.3 mm., respectively, the same width as those of Stage V. Mr. Dawson 

 informs me that these larv?e winter full fed ; he has watched them closely, 

 and has never seen them eat anything in spring. He has on several 

 occasions found them crawling on snow in March and April, looking for 

 a place to pupate. 



Cocoon. — The cocoons of the larvae first received were spun among 

 some leaves and moss in the box in which they were sent. The cocoon 

 is thin, but not so slight as in Apantesis, the pupa being readily seen 

 within. It is simply a light network of whitish silk, to which has been 

 attached many of the hairs from the larva. 



Pupa. — Length, 14- 15.5 mm.; width at widest part 5.5 mm.; black, 

 shining; folds of abdomen bright reddish-yellow; abdomen bears, sparsely, 

 short thick hairs. Spiracles black. Cremaster round, reddish, shiny, 

 terminating in a bunch of about eight straight, stout, reddish-brown, 

 capitate bristles of varying lengths. 



Food-plant. — Mr. Dawson tells me that he thinks the larvae feed on a 

 species of Lungwort, Mertensia. Those which I obtained from eggs were 

 fed on dandelion and plantain. 



Parasites. — Two or three of the mature larvae received had been 

 attacked by a Tachinid. Within a day or two after their arrival at Ottawa 

 the puparia emerged, and later three flies, one of which has been identified 

 by Mr. W. D. Coquillett as Exorista che/onice Rond. 



Mr. H. H. Lyman, of ^Montreal, also received some larvae from Mr. 

 Dawson, and he has kindly sent me the following notes, which I am glad 

 to include here : 



"Larva3 of Phragmatobia assimilans Walk., var. fra?iconta Slosson, 

 received from Mr. Horace Dawson, Hyrners, Ont., Nov. 20, 1909. 



•'Of the usual 'woolly-bear' type (and in two stages), head somewhat 

 quadrate, rounded at corners, not bilobed, smooth and shining, dark 

 brown or blackish, with a tew brown hairs. Body dark sooty-brown, 

 somewhat foxy towards the ventral surface. Feet blackish, prolegs or 

 claspers light brown. No bands discernible on dorsum. 



