214 [February, 



by August 15th, they were not half- grown, and did not pass their last moult for 

 another week ; however, by the beginning of September, they had spun up. A larva 

 captured by Mr. McLachlan, in Devonshire, in 1875, did not spin till the second week 

 of September, whilst one lent for figuring in 1874, by Mr. A. H. Jones, was nearly 

 full-fed by July 17th. These dates — varying from the middle of July to the middle 

 of September — for the maturity of the larva, almost give time enough for a second 

 brood, but I suppose the safer inference is that the single brood of moths has a flight 

 of some duration. 



The egg is bluntish-oval in outline, flattened, the shell embossed all over with a 

 small triangular pattern, the colour very pale yellowish- white throughout, no change 

 taking place to the last ; hence it is necessary to watch very carefully for the hatching 

 of the larvae, for there is nothing to give warning of their exit, and, being very 

 delicate, they will soon die if not supplied with food. 



The newly-hatched larva is of a very pale greenish-white tint, the head very 

 slightly tinged with brown, the skin shining, the usual hairs fine, and whitish in 

 colour. As the larva grows, and up to the last moult, it becomes more translucent ; 

 when three-eighths of an inch long its figiu-e is stumpy, the segments looking puffed, 

 stoutest at the 9th, and thence tapering towards either end ; the body now looks 

 quite pellucid, except that the internal organs show as a pale dull green stripe down 

 the back, and the puffed spii-acular region is pale yellowish-green ; the small head 

 black. With the last moult comes a complete change : the pellucid look disappears, 

 and a very handsome contrast of colours is seen, the tints of which, as usual, are 

 much richer and deeper at first, becoming gradually paler as the lai'va approaches 

 maturity. When full-fed, the larva measures five-eighths of an inch in length, or 

 nearly three-fourths when fully stretched out, in figure stoutest at 9 and 10, tapering 

 considerably towards the head, which is the smallest segment, and has its lobes well- 

 defiued, and not so much towards the tail ; this actual tapering of the figure appears 

 much enhanced to the eye by the arrangement and outline of the markings ; all the 

 segments plump, and well-defined ; a favourite attitude of the larva is to rest along 

 the midrib at the back of a leaf, with the head held up ; segments 2 to 5 kept close 

 to the leaf, 6 to 9 raised in an arch or sometimes a loop, and 10 to 13 again pressed 

 close to the leaf. 



The colour of the head is shining blackish-brown, the triangular space between 

 the lobes in front pinkish, barred across above the mouth with blackish-brown, the 

 lip and base of palpillse pinkish, the jaws blackish-brown ; on the 2nd segment is a 

 narrow black shining plate, from which commences, on the back, a broad marking of 

 dark purplish-brown, widening as it proceeds, and obliterating the pale yellow-green 

 ground, at tlie end of the 5th segment it reaches below the spiracles and begins to 

 spread over the ventral suriace, in some examples quite enveloping the whole body, 

 as far as the 9th, on wliich segment its colour becomes rosy-red, and thence narrows 

 again as a dorsal stripe to the anal extremity ; tliis dark marking is darkest — almost 

 black — on its lower edge, and has throughout a narrow edging of sulphur-yellow 

 melting into the yellow-green below ; on each side of the 5th is a patch of yellow 

 on the yellow-green ground, and there is an elongate yellow patch on each side of 

 the 9th, showing very conspicuously on the dark colouring which there surrounds it ; 

 on the dark marking at the beginning of segments 5, 6, 7, and 8, is a squarish dorsal 

 violet mark, whence slants backward on cither side a whitish streak, thus forming 



