156 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXV. 



the recent cyclone as we were in its neighbourliood at the time. The 

 moths came at dawn and for some hours afterward they could be seen 

 clinging to every kind of object, coils of rope and cane chairs being the 

 favoured resting spots, these harmonising with their colouration and 

 afi'ording some protective concealment. The Convolcuh in particular chose 

 coils of seasoned rope and weatherworn wood on which it was quite difficult 

 to spot them. 



I saw more Sphinffidoe in one hour than I had seen in a decade in India. 



Bombay, 20^ Sept. 1916. 



F. C. F5ASER, Capt., i.m.s., 



Hospital Ship " MADRAS." 



No. XVll.— NOTES ON THE LARVA OF DILEPRILA LIVORNICA 



(STRIPED HAWK MOTH). 



I found large numbers of laves feeding on a milky plant with a yellow 

 flower at Changla Gali, Murree Hills, in June. 



The plant was growing in a single sunny nullah and spur, and there must 

 have been many hundreds of lavte in this small area. 



When first hatched the larva is a dirty white colour, with the head and 

 horn black. When about half an inch long a number of white dotvi appear. 

 These dots gradually form into a series of eleven white spots on each side, 

 the head and horn being black, and the rest of the body black, dotted with 

 white. 



Wh' nthe larva is about one and a half inches long, all the white markings 

 turn yellow, only the spiracles being white. As the larva grows the yellow 

 spots become more conspicuous. 



When full grown it is over three inches long, and has a very striking 

 appearance. 



After reaching full growth the larva becomes very restless, leaves the 

 good plant and searches for a suitable place in which to pupate. It digs 

 a few inches into the ground, spins a slight coccoon and turns to a pupa in 

 about a week. The pupa is a bright reddish brown colour, with darker 

 markings, the head and thorax being green with brown dots. 



Moths emerged in March 1916 from pupse obtained in June 1915. 



In spite of its conspicuous colouring, the caterpillar feeds during the 

 day, often a large number of all sizes on one plaut, with no attempt at 

 concealment. When the plant is approached, all the caterpillars jerk 

 back the head and upper part of the body, and eject from the mouth large 

 drops of a clear green fluid. The drops fall in a small shower round the 

 plant. From these habits it would appear that the caterpillar is distasteful 

 to insectivorous birds, etc. 1 noticed some caterpillars which 1 kept, suck- 

 ing up greedily the milky juice which exuded when the food i)laut was 

 broken. 



South in describing the larva of the Striped Hawk Moth ( Dilpphila 

 livornica ) in Ids " Moths of the British Isles " does not mention this habit, 

 so like that of some grasshoppers, of ejecting fluid from the mouth. 



I do not know of any other Hawk Moth larva which has this habit. 



F. B. SOOTT, Capt., i.a., 



Atthd. 69th Punjabis. 



