146 THE entomologist's record. 



eggs, are in Acronycta nearly evanescent, and are represented 

 by the principal ribs being waved or impressed by alternating 

 hollows on either side. 



The effect of the eggs being so massed together, and by their 

 superposition bringing the exposed portions of the eggs into 

 nearly the same plane, is to give the whole group a remarkable 

 silky lustre, this is equally marked in a group of riunicis eggs, 

 and perhaps most of all in those of venosa. 



The diameter is i.i mm., at first yellowish, they soon become 

 red, and at full colour are perhaps brown rather than red, and 

 get nearly black as the young larva approaches hatching. At 

 their best, they are reddish-brown with numerous paler spots ; 

 these spots are very small, and in some specimens very indis- 

 tinct ; towards the centre, 5 to 8 larger spots are arranged 

 somewhat in a circle, those outside this are ver}' small and 

 irregularly disposed. The centre is free from spots and rather 

 darker, and, being where the head of the larva is placed, 

 becomes quite black when the larva is matured. 



When just hatched the tubercles are pale, but soon become 

 black, the larva then looking almost entirely black. As it grows, 

 it shows the same pale segments, and much the same colouring 

 as the other species. The pale segments, however, present, not 

 pale colourless, but opaque white areas round the posterior 

 trapezoidal tubercles. The hairs are black, about twice the 

 diameter of the larva in length, and when magnified look dotted 

 or ringed. When full grown in this skin, it is 2\ mm. long ; 

 the largeness of the 5th segment, and the smallness of 2 and 11, 

 together with a habit of holding the head prone, already give a 

 ruviicis outline to the larva. The white of the pale segments, 

 3.4, 6.7, 10. II, and, to some extent, segment 2, is so opaque 

 and-solid looking as to give the larva a more robust appearance 

 than the other Viminia larvae at this stage. Indications of 

 white circles round the tubercles may be made out on the dark 

 segments ; segments 7 and 11 have the dorsal area of the same 

 fuscous-brow^n as the dark segments. Below the sub-spiracular 

 tubercles all the segments are of a tolerably uniform tint, some- 

 what paler than that of the dark segments ; the 13th segment 

 has some pale marking around the dorsal tubercles, and is not 

 distinctly either of the pale or dark series. 



The anterior trapezoidal tubercles have 3 hairs on the 3rd 

 segment, 4 on the 4th and 5 on the others, three of the five 

 being longer than the rest : they are largest on 3 and 4, shortest 

 on 2 and 11, the other tubercles have each i hair. 



