228 [October, 



torum, Scholtz, by its smaller size, and shorter anterior femora, those are much 

 shorter than in dorsalis, but only a trifle shorter than in ericetorum ; in colour it 

 differs from both species, it is a darker greyer insect than dorsalis, having all the 

 nerves of the elytra widely margined with fuscous-grey, the under-side also darker, 

 and often nearly black, and the transverse black bars on the anterior femora 

 beneath much more pronounced, and often coalescing ; in these respects it resembles 

 ericetorum, but there is no tendency to become rufescent, as there is in that species ; 

 and it is an inhabitant of marshy districts, whereas ericetorum, as its name implies, 

 is a heath-loving form ; besides the above characters, all the species differ in the form 

 of the genital styles of the <? (outline figures of these are given by Renter, Ofv. af 

 Kongl. Vet.- Akad. Forh., Stockholm, 1872, No. 6, pi. viii, and agree exactly with 

 those I have extracted from our British specimens), in brevis, the blade of the style 

 is wider in proportion to its length, with a more convex upper margin, which rises 

 from the stipes in a nearly straight line ; in ericetorum there is a shoulder just above 

 the stipes, which is followed by a slight sinuation ; in both the apex is mucronate ; 

 in dorsalis there is no shoulder or subsequent sinuation, but the blade is narrower 

 than in either of the others, and the mucro at the apex scarcely developed. 



I regard these species very much in the same light as those of 

 Scolopostethus, Peritrechus, &c., in Hemiptera, and those of certain 

 groups of Andrena in Hymenopfera ; they are certainly distinguishable 

 by structural characters, at the same time the characters are not so 

 strongly indicated as those usually considered to be of specific value. 



St. Ann's, Woking : 



September 1st, 1900. 



A SPECIAL STRUCTURE IN THE LARVA OF ERIOCAMPA 

 LIMACINA. 



BY T. A. CUAPMAN, M.D , P.Z.S. 



In looking at some larvte of this common "slugworm " of our 

 fruit trees, and noting their method of feeding, a very peculiar ap- 

 pearance manifested itself. The larva bends its head well under the 

 thorax in feeding, and this fact was obvious, but what was not only 

 strange, but apparently unaccountable, was that though the larva was 

 feeding voraciously, the mouth appeared to be buried in the first 

 thoracic segment, or more paradoxically but more in accordance with 

 appearances, the mouth parts were thrust through the first thoracic 

 segment to reach the food, i. e., a roll of the yellow, transparent 

 tissue of the front of the prothorax lay across the front of the head 

 above the mouth, and behind this the jaws were actively at work on 

 the leaf surface. A closer scrutiny showed that this was actually the 

 case, except that the roll of tissue was formed by a process advancing 

 from either side and meeting the other iu front. ISo soon as this was 



