SOME OBSERVATIONS ON HEMEKOI'IIILA ABKUPTARIA. l23 



were fed on privet with the largei- lot. I bred, however, too many 

 dark aberrations altogether for theui to have all come from the eggs 

 received from Mr. Pearce, and, therefore, I feel sure that some of the 

 dark forms were the produce of my ordinary types ; we must bear in 

 mind, however, that even these ordinary coloured specimens came 

 from the garden in St, James' Road, and, therefore, most probably 

 contained the dark strain of variation. Altogether, I bred a remark- 

 able series of specimens in the spring of 1H97, one would have supposed 

 from the late feeding (Oct. -Dec, 1890), that they would have emerged 

 small. Certainly the males arc rather undersized, but some of the 

 females are as large as any captured specimens. 



With the exception of the third brood of IbOG, all the larvie were 

 kept under the same conditions, being fed-up indoors on a landing, 

 with a window looking due north, the third brood of larvte were kept 

 in my workshop under the bensh. 



The dark forms seem very weak. I have bred so many cripples 

 and they are so easily damaged, that, even with the greatest care, the 

 setting-brace nearly always leaves a mark upon the wings, so easily do 

 the scales come off ; I have not noticed this so much with captured 

 specimens. 



The moth emerges from pupa nearly always during the evening 

 from G to 11 p.m., very seldom coming out during the day, and rarely 

 after 12 midnight. 



In the wild state the J lays her eggs, sometimes in a broken line 

 along the lilac twigs, sometimes singly. They are considered a great 

 delicacy by earwigs, and I have often found the latter busily engaged 

 feasting upon them. 



The British Liparid Moths. 



( Cojitimied from p. 93 y. 

 By A. BACOT. 

 Orgyia antiqua. — 1st skin : The 2nd and 3rd thoracic and 5th 

 abdominal segments are weak ; all the other segments and the head 

 are dark. The anterior trapezoidals on the 5th and 6th abdominal seg- 

 ments only bear one small hair. All the other tubercles bear several 

 hairs. The hairs are thorny, and some of them are fully as long as the 

 larva. 2nd skin : A slight reddish lateral band is now present. The 

 anterior trapezoidals are only about half the size of the posterior, and on 

 the 5th, Gth and 7th abdominal segments, they only bear a single hair. 

 A few of the long hairs rising from the ear-tubercles (sub-dorsal on 

 prothorax) are now finely branched or feathered at tip. 3/(/ ski)i : 

 Dorsal tufts are now present on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th abdominal 

 segments, also a pencil on the bth, some larvje have already developed 

 pencils on the prothoracic segment (rising from ear-tubercles). The 

 dorsal tufts on the abdominal segments 1 and 2 are black, and arise 

 from both pairs of trapezoidals. On abdominal segments 3 and 1, 

 they are white and arise from the anterior pair only ; the pencil on 

 the Hth abdominal rises from the posterior pair. In the adult larva 

 the dorsal tufts are all of the same tint, whitish- or yellowish-brown. 

 The single pencil on the Hth abdominal and the two on the prothoracic 

 segments are black. Lateral tufts are present on the 1st and 2ud 

 abdominal segments. Dr. Dyar mentions a larva which had additional 

 tufts on the 3rd abdominal as well. 



