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abundance, and trust that the following notes on its habits may prove of interest. 

 The larvae were found on either slope of one of the numerous valleys whieli intersect 

 the lower i)arts of the splendid amphitheatre of hills surrounding Mentone. These 

 slopes are covered with a scrub consisting, for the most part, of myrtle, arbutus, and 

 lentiscus. Having by chance discovered a small individual ou an arbutus scrub, I 

 was induced to search farther, when I found the larvae to be by no means uncommon. 

 They were easily discovered, in spite of their colour approximating closely to that of 

 their food plant, as they remained always on the upper surface of the leaf on the 

 silken carpet to be after mentioned, which also greatly assists their detection. The 

 arbutus shrubs were generally of small growth, although in some places they 

 attained to 9 or 10 feet ; the stunted plants I fonnd, however, to be the most 

 productive, especially when isolated. On only three occasions did I find more thau 

 one larva on a bush, viz., on two of these occasions two, and on the other no less 

 than five. The larvae had hybernated, being all found during the month of January, 

 and were about half grown, with the exception of three which did not exceed half 

 an inch in length. 



" A very good description of the caterpillar will be found in MM. Duponchel 

 and Gueu6e's ' Iconographie des Chenilles ' ; the only remark I have to make ou 

 this head being, that in my specimens there was an evident difference in the shades 

 of green exhibited by the larvae when seen together, some being darker, and of a 

 bluish green, while others were more of a yellowish green. The dift'erence in colour 

 did not arise, as 1 at first thought it might, from the amount of shade enjoyed by 

 the shrubs, as the darkest larva was found on a small plant of a foot and a half in 

 height exposed to the full rays of the sun. The oval dorsal marks on the seventh 

 and ninth segments were also much more strongly marked in some specimens than 

 in others. 



" The larvae of this species are very easily reared, being very sluggish and rarely 

 moving from the leaf on which they may be resting at the time until it, or those 

 within reach, are consumed. When they do move, it is only for a short distance, 

 and they invariably retreat again to the original leaf on which their web is spun. 

 This web consists of fine threads of silk closely jdastered over the upper surface of 

 the leaf, so as to give it a white, shiny appearance. It seems absolutely necessary 

 to the larva to enable it to cling to the leaf, and one of its first proceedings on going 

 to a new leaf is to spin this coating of silk over the surface. Thus one small larva, 

 from some defect in its spinning apparatus, was unable to weave the usual carpet 

 for itself, although it kept incessantly going through the usual motions for doing so, 

 moving its head from side to side. It was constantly falling off the twig on which 

 it was placed, and had to be replaced several times a day, till at length it fell ofi'and 

 was lost. They feed principally during the night, remaining inactive during the day 

 except when it is bright and fine, when, strange to say, they begin to eat as vigor- 

 ously as on the approach of evening. They are not voracious feeders, however, and 

 eat by fits and starts, never consuming much at a time. They have also a curious 

 habit, when exposed to a strong sun, of extending aud retracting the segments of 

 their bodies, as if they appeared to enjoy the heat. When once they begin to eat a 

 leaf, they seldom commence another till they have completely finished it, gnawing 

 the midrib down to the very stem. Although found in dry localities, aud in a region 

 subject to little or no rain, they seem to be fond of moisture. I was in the habit of 

 sprinkling their food with water, and I have often noticed them drinking up the 

 drops. In a state of repose, the larva attaches itself to the leaf by its four pairs of 



