200 [September, 



I was over the ground again mi February 14th, but the weather 

 had changed since the preceding day, when they were out in abundance. 

 A cold ensterly wind was blowing now, and not a solitary larva of B. 

 ruhi could be found. This cold weather continued with more or less 

 severity until M:irch 21st, ruhi remaining in close concealment all the 

 time. On this day the wind veered round to the west, the sun shone 

 brightly, and the temperature was high, but I had not the opportunity 

 of noting the degree ; rubi larvae were out in numbers far exceeding 

 anything I had seen before. Several collectors were on the ground, 

 and to my knowledge more than a thousand larvse were taken off this 

 short range of sandhills. Yet no perceptible difference appeared in 

 the numbers about, notwithstanding so many being taken. I took a 

 considerable number, and treated them exactly as the others, isolating 

 them, and placing the boxes, all numbered and dated, in the same warm 

 situation. These commenced to spin within 2t hours, but the larva? 

 continued to crawl about out of doors for another fortnight, though, 

 after the 25th, their numbers diminished very rapidly. The last day 

 on which I noticed them was April llth, when I found nine. 



On April 4th an imago from the iirst batch appeared — a female. 

 As I would not disturb them too much, the following particulars are 

 of periods commencing when the larva* were taken, and ending with 

 the appearance of the imagines I cannot give the date of pupation. 

 The first batches (those taken on February 10th and 13th) produced 

 imagines in an average of 58.' days, the longest period being 64 days, 

 the shortest 58. Those found six to nine weeks later (March 21st to 

 April 11th) only took an average of 28 days, the longest period being 

 35 days, the shortest 21. In all cases the first to appear were females, 

 the males emerging three or four days later. 



It was necessary to open the boxes and remove the cocoons before 

 the inmates emerged. I again found a number of perfectly circular 

 cocoons. The chip boxes were two inches across, not a great space 

 for so large a larva. In the paper boxes there was a length of three 

 inches from corner to corner, which was more than enough. It seemed 

 strange, that with abundance of space, they should spin these circular 

 cocoons (one of which was only three quarters of an inch in diameter), 

 in which they could not straighten themselves out. In two cases the 

 larva» had not changed when I opened the boxes ; I therefore tore the 

 cocoon open, and found the contracted larva? curved, back outwards, 

 and not able to straighten out, but when they cast the larval skins the 

 pupae were all right, and both produced perfect imagines. In all the 

 olherrs the pupa? were bent round, and more or less imperfect on the 



