THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 375 



From the i6th to the 26th October the larvje had practically stopi)ed 

 feeding, and at this latter date ihey were put down in a cool cellar, to be 

 left there throughout the winter. 



Food-plant. — The larvie of the first brood were fed on dandelion and 

 plantain, those of the second on dandelion only. 



In the Journal of the New York Entomological Society for March, 

 1900, Dr. Dyar publishes an article entitled " Preliminary Notes on the 

 Larvae of the Genus Arctia." In this paper some remarks are made regard- 

 ing the mature larvte oi Arctia phalerata and Arctia vittata, and it is stated 

 that "the matter is not decided beyond question as to vfh&i\\&v phaierata or 

 vittata has the larva with the dorsal stripe, or whether this is a specific 

 character at all." The notes on the mature larvae of phalerata, as given 

 in the present paper, throw some light upon the matter, and it will be 

 readily seen that the dorsal stripe is not a specific character, as it is present 

 in some mature larvae, ahd totally absent in others. This will agree with 

 both Professor French's description and also with the notes of the 

 Department of Agriculture at Washington. 



With regard to vittata, I might say that on the 26th May last I found 

 a specimen of the mature larva at Ottawa, which spun a very slight cocoon 

 two days later, and produced the moth on the ist June. This larva was 

 a reddish, hairy caterpillar, with no sign whatever of a dorsal stripe, and 

 not at all like those mentioned above. 



The following description was taken from the cast skin and head of 

 larva : Head 3.3 mm. wide, jet black, bearing sparse long slender 

 blackish and reddish hairs, and some short rust-red hairs. Skin of body 

 velvety black, tubercles rough, not polished, bearing bright rust-red 

 bristles, those on dorsum slightly darker. Bristles smooth, not barbed. 

 Tubercle i. about one-fifth size of tubercle ii. Thoracic feet blackish 

 brown, covered sparsely with rust-red bristles. 



Pupa. — Length 24 mm , width at widest part 8 mm.; black, pruinose. 

 covered with a bloom similar to that on a ripe unrubbed plum; folds of 

 abdominal segments with slight reddish tinge. Abdomen minutely pitted, 

 wing-cases and thorax slightly wrinkled. Cremaster rough, short, rounded 

 above, slightly hollowed beneath, and terminating in a bunch of about t8 

 capitate rust-red bristles of varying lengths. 



From the first brood o{ phalerata 55 moths were bred. In over half 

 of these specimens the costal edge of the primaries is narrowly black, thai 

 of the others being yellow. Dr. Dyar, in the above paper, says that the 



