228 Transactions. — Zoology. 



no doubt would cause greater absorption, and consequent re- 

 duction, in number of ova. This might be partially counter- 

 acted by conversion of energy towards the formation of 

 cellular matter in the ovary at the expense of imaginal 

 structures, until, as in Metacrias, the female becomes a helpless 

 ova-bag. 



In his letters Mr. Howes tells me that a male M. strate- 

 gica copulated with three separate females in the course of 

 perhaps twenty-four hours. It is interesting to get authentic 

 records of such. Many entomologists believe the males 

 among Lepidoptera only pair once I have no doubt male 

 M. strategical would assemble to a virgin female if exposed at 

 the proper time of flight and in a suitable locality. 



Ovum. 



Deposited, 4th November, 1900 ; hatched, 27th November, 

 1900 — 23 days. Spherical in shape ; pale honey-colour ; egg- 

 shell apparently exceedingly thin, with irregular hexagons 

 over its surface, more distinct than on Nyctemera annulata. 

 It may here be noted that I have examined batches of N. an- 

 nulata ova which were quite smooth, others having a faint 

 hexagonal pattern. Mr. Howes mentions that the young 

 newly hatched larvae eat the eggshell. This is done by N. 

 annulata* 



Larva. (Plate XIII. , fig. 8 ; vol. xxxiii., pi. ix., fig. 18.) 



Newly hatched. — Eobust ; all the segments approximately 

 uniform except head, prothorax, and the two posterior ab- 

 dominal segments, which are smaller than the others. 

 Tubercles are crowded together and give the larva a rather 

 dark colour, though the skin is yellowish-brown. The head, 

 scutellum, dorsal anal shield, and tubercles are brown ; the 

 seta3 are black. The setae are spinulose, and the skin is 

 covered with minute (secondary) hairs. At first the head 

 appears to be larger than prothorax, but, enclosed in its chi- 

 tinous envelope, it does not grow, and prior to ecdysis tiie 

 prothorax is larger than the head. The dorsal and lateral 

 multisetiferous tubercles are at first prominent elevations on 

 all the segments, but when the skin is fully distended prior 

 to ecdysis the dorsal tubercles of 9th abdominal segment 

 only appear to be specially prominent. When full fed in 

 first skin the length is -£$ in., and there is a slight reddish 

 mottling on the skin. 



Head : The ocelli are crescentic ; the numerous hairs are 

 spinulose. 



Prothorax : Dorsal shield has on each side of the median 



* Entom., vol. xxxiv., p. 141. 



