74 THE EEPOET OF THE No. 36 



A. virginiensis is widely distributed in tlie Province of Quebec. Mr. A. E. M. 

 Boulton, President of the Quebec Branch of the Entomological Society has two 

 specimens ( ^ & $ )that were taken, I believe, at Cape Tourment in Montmorency 

 County. I have frequently met with larvae of the kind on the Island of Orleans, 

 and, on the 16th of last June, I found a beautiful male moth of the species, lying 

 under an arc-light, near some oak trees, on Front Street, Hull. On the 29th of the 

 same month, Miss M. G. Johnson, a member of the Entomological Society, sent me 

 from Miranda, Missisquoi County, some oak-leaves laden with the eggs of the 

 species, and also one of the moths that she had found laying the eggs, and a male 

 of the same species. 



The eggs lay close together, in broad patches which in several instances covered 

 the under-side of the leaf — none were laid on the upper side. They were of a 

 roseate light brown tint, but here and there was a pale green egg seemingly un- 

 fertilized. 



The egg of A. virginiensis is globular in shape; but as the larva within 

 advances in growth it becomes depressed, and loses its roseate tinge, till at length 

 the little black-headed larva, snugly coiled, is plainly visible within the shell. The 

 egg is one-twenty-fourth of an inch in diameter. 



Doubtless the eggs sent me were deposited by several females of the same kind, 

 and at slightly different intervals, for they hatched irregularly. The first of the 

 young larvffi to appear left the shell the day after the eggs reached me — i.e., on 

 June 30th, and the others appeared at intervals for the next fortnight — consequently, 

 some of them had reached the third stage while others were only in the first. In 

 these notes I have followed the larvte first hatched. 



The newly-hatched larva was one-eighth of an inch in length. Its head was 

 large in proportion to its bod}^ and jet black. The mouth-organs were yellow. The 

 body was yellow, and set with short spines. The legs were pale yellow and semi- 

 translucent. 



The larvae are gregarious. They eat away the substance of the leaf, leaving 

 only the mid-rib and some of the larger veins. When they have finished with one 

 leaf, they proceed to another on the same twig, and, having stript it, they advance 

 to a third, and so on — moving from leaf to leaf and from twig to twig. 



The first moult took place on the 6th of July. After it the larva was a quarter 

 of an inch long. Its head and fore-legs were black ; its body was pale yellow ; it 

 had on the third segment two seven-jointed black horns. Along the middle of 

 each of the following segments on the upper side was a row of small warts — each 

 wart bearing a short bristle, A few white hairs extended from the black head. 

 Towards the end of this stage in the larva's existence the segments of the body 

 became more distinct and assumed a bluish green tint, with slightly darker longi- 

 tudinal stripes. 



The larva moulted again on the 14th of July. The old skin broke at the head 

 to allow the larva to escape from it. When it made its fresh appearance the head, 

 horns, anal segment and fore-legs of the larva were green, but they soon changed 

 to black. 



The body colour in this stage was sage green, with yellow sub-dorsal, side, and 

 spiracular lines. There were several black, pointed tubercles along the middle of 

 each segmejjt, on the upper side. The spiracles were black. The black, glossy 

 horns on the third segment extended beyond the head. There was a black granu- 

 lated plate on the second segment, and before the horns on the third. 



