THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 99 



from above the antennse and eyes one each side to the apex where it is a 

 little more purple, mottled slightly with whitish, the rest of head dull dark 

 lilac with whitish stripes that are as usual moniliform, with a dull 

 purplish-orange stripe across these on the apex; venter white with a black 

 patch in each joint ; fringe rather copious, whitish with a faint lilac tint. 

 These characters will answer for the mature larva, with the addition that 

 at the time of pupating it was 2.50 inches long. Duration of this period, 

 21 days. 



Chrysalis. — This is of the usual shape of the genus. Length, i.io 

 inches ; diameter, .34 inch ; length from head to end of wing and tongue 

 case, .70 uich, these extending to posterior part of joint 5 ; crernaster 

 slender, ending in two small hooks, with a few more small ones at the 

 base. Colour chestnut-brown, covered with a white powder. Duration of 

 this period, 28 days. 



The eggs were obtained September i r, 1S92, from a moth in confine- 

 ment, one of the darkest of the forms of Retecta. Two were carried 

 through to the imago state and produced moths that were not so dark as 

 the parent, though not quite so light as some of the lightest forms, about 

 half way between Retecta, as Mr. Hulst describes it in Buftalo Bulletin, 

 vol. 7, page 53, and his Luctuosa. In Can. Ent., vol. 24, page 19, I 

 have referred to these two forms, stating that I regarded them as only one 

 species from my observations of them in the field. My raising inter- 

 grades from the dark form shows that they are identical. The fact is the 

 early fresh specimens are a combination of the light form and intergrades 

 with some dark forms, while later as they become worn the dark forms 

 predominate. I want to say again that Flehilis is not a variety of Retecta, 

 but*a smaller species and an insect of different habits from Retecta, 

 although feeding on the same food-plant. I have taken hundreds of them 

 and have never seen one grading towards Retecta. In fact it is one of 

 our most constant species. 



The total period of the preparatory stages of Retecta were 306 days, 

 but this would of course vary with the deposition of eggs of different ex- 

 amples in the woods. The food-plant is hickory. The one described 

 through its changes emerged July 22, 1893. My field notes record the 

 capture of Retecta in 1892 from August 5th to September 24th, which 

 will give a fair range of its appearance here. 



