THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 225 



NOTES ON LEPIDOPTEROUS LARV^. 



BY W. SAUNDERS, LONDON, ONT. 



In November, 1867, I received from my esteemed friend, the late B. 

 Billings, of Ottawa, several specimens of the larva of that very rare arctian, 

 A. parthenos, which he had reared from eggs laid by a captured female in 

 a box. They were apparently about two-thirds grown, and ready to 

 liybernate for the winter ; a common practice with many species belong- 

 ing to this interesting family of moths. 



The length of this larva was 1 ^ inches, body cylindrical. 



Head medium sized, bilobed, black and shining, with a few brownish 

 hairs. 



Body above, black, with transverse rows of shining tubercles, which 

 were rather large, and of a dull brownish-white colour, excepting a few on 

 the anterior segments, which were black j and from each of them was 

 emitted a tuft of brown hairs. The hairs on the anterior segments and 

 around the base of the body, were rather short ; the others long and silky, 

 and of a slightly paler brown colour, recurved backwards. Stigmata 

 elongated, and of a yellowish orange colour. 



The under surface was black, with a slight brownish tinge, 5th, 6th, 

 nth and 12th segments, each with a transverse row of black tubercles in 

 continuation of those above, each tubercle emitting several short dark 

 brown hairs. Feet black, ringed with dull whitish-brown, prolegs black 

 without, tipped with greenish-brown ; within, greenish-brown. 



I buried these larvae a short distance underground, stowed away care- 

 fully in a box with some loose pieces of chip, with the hope that they 

 would survive the winter. In this, however, I was disappointed, for on 

 disinterring the box very early in Spring, I found them all dead. 



Stegania pustularia Gueriee. — The larva of this little delicate-looking 

 geometric moth, feeds on the Maple. It is common in our neighbour- 

 hood, and may be readily got, in season, by striking the branches of the 

 trees a sharp blow, when it drops at once part way to the ground, re- 

 maining suspended by a silken thread, by means of which, when danger 

 passes, it can regain its position on the tree. It is found full grown about 

 the middle of June, enters the chrysalis state within a few days afterwards, 

 and produces the moth early in July. 



When full grown, the larva measures about five-eights of an inch in 

 length, body cylindrical. 



