200 THE entomologist's record. 



rather longer and more slender than that of the other species, 

 but could not be easily distinguished from them, except by the 

 character of the material amongst which it is made. 



The pupa is very like that of rumicis. The mesothorax does 

 not project backwards, as in rumicis, and the following seg- 

 ments are relatively smaller, the thoracic and fixed abdominal 

 segments are more slender, making the whole pupa look more 

 delicate and slender than rumicis or any other Viminia. The 

 marginal hoops of the six abdominal segments are nearly as 

 pronounced as in rumicis, the rough points cover the rest of 

 the segment, and are nearly as large as in rumicis. The seg- 

 mental incisions, i.e., the softer chitinous parts of the free 

 segment, are black and finely granulated, as in the other 

 species. The frontal knobs are the same as in rumicis. The 

 anal armature is very similar, the pen-nib-like termination is a 

 little longer and more slender, it has the same four points, and 

 a faint indication of a central dorsal one, the bristles are more 

 strictly terminal, not covering quite so wide an area, and are 

 perhaps a little longer, stiffer, and darker in colour. The 

 minute hairs, at the base of the antennas, etc., appear to be 

 identical. 



Among the points, in which this species is clearly very 

 closely allied to rumicis, none is perhaps more remarkable 

 than the lateral line of the full-grown larva, the outline of 

 which, and relative colouring, are identical in the two species. 



In rumicis (a loud vulgar fellow), the lateral line might be 

 described, as two broad white dashes, anteriorly and posteriorly, 

 on each segment, connected by a brilliant red patch. With 

 the same outline, the red is, in venosa, much toned down, and 

 passes without great contrast into the paler yellow portions, 

 and so forms a tolerably regular band. In a genus like 

 Acronycta, where the larvae, even of closely allied species, are 

 so different from each other, in form, colour and markings, a 

 close identity like this appears to imply a near relationship. 

 The eggs are also very similar, those of venosa are perhaps less 

 specialised than those of the other species of Viminia ; not 

 having the bold pale markings of auricoma, or the distinct 

 special dot and pale circle of rumicis, they, nevertheless, more 

 nearly resemble those of rumicis, than do any of the other 

 species of Viminia, and, in groups, the two species have much 

 the same tone and silky lustre. The pupae are very similar, 

 venosa looks more bulky in the abdominal segments, or, more 

 correctly, is more slender thoracically, generally enough so, to 



