THK HAinTS ANI> l.AHVA ol' (iKAiil.T-SIA ISAHKI.I,.V., CKAEI.LS. 127 



this 1 may be wrong. It has been kaowii for more than 50 years, and 

 for many years cocoons have been regularly supplied to Dr, Staudinger, 

 first by Herr M. Korb, and later by local collectors. The species still 

 occurs near La Granja in the Guadarama mountains, near Madrid, 

 and we saw specimens at the Escorial that had that origin. Its 

 acknowledged head-quarters, however, are much further east, at 

 ]>ronchales — say 100 miles east of ]\Iadrid. Our first meeting with it 

 was at Tragacete, about twenty miles south of Bronchales. No doubt 

 the moth exists throughout a tract of country of about 100 miles from 

 east to west, and something less from north to south, wherever Piniis 

 siflrestris grows abundantly. This last proviso no doubt limiting its 

 range to a number of isolated districts. We first met with it at 

 Tragacete, where Mr. Champion beat two larvse from Scotch fir. 

 Later we found it between Nogueraand l^ronchales by inspection of the 

 trees. A full-grown larva is very conspicuous, once you have got your 

 eyes on it, but it is nevertheless very protectively coloured and easily 

 escapes observation. It is probably more or less gregarious when 

 young, as several often occur on the same tree, indeed, a local collector 

 mentioned once having taken eighteen from one tree. He also told 

 us that ^Ir. Korb had taken something near 500 in one season. The 

 caterpillar varies from year to year in local abundance, doubtless like 

 other species, in obedience to conditions of wind and weather during 

 egglaying and when the larva is young. In the neighbourhood of 

 Bronchales, its supposed headquarters, we only found one larva, whilst 

 an hour's journey off', near Noguera, it was by no means uncommon. 

 The larva affects the lower and hanging branches of the tree, not 

 apparently with any reference to their height from the ground, but 

 because it likes the foliage of such lateral branches, which is very short 

 jointed, and with smaller dark-green foliage, objecting to the more 

 succulent and luxuriant twigs that mark the growing and ascending 

 top of a tree. This is no doubt a matter of palate, but it is also 

 important as facilitating the concealment of the larva. Such lateral 

 branches are more busby for one thing, their shorter joints give bits of 

 red stem amongst the leaves, and they also carry cones. The cones 

 have much resemblance to the larvie in some angles and lights, and 

 often demand a second look before one is satisfied it is only a cone. 

 They are often bent down against the branch in larval attitude and 

 their lighter green colour, with the brown tipping to each scale, give 

 them, when partially hidden among the needles, just the aspect of a 

 larva. The larva makes its cocoon, which much resembles that of 

 Saturma pavonia but is larger and with a less elaborate exit, on the 

 ground amongst rubbish and low herbage, it appears that it is not 

 taken in this stage, and very rarely indeed as an imago. It 

 passes the winter as a pupa, precisely as 8. paronia does. Larva. — 

 From the 1st to 7th abdominal segments, white stripe down 

 dorsal tubercles, which are white, and in the white stripes; between 

 the stripes, dorsum brown with numerous paler hair spots, some 

 only of which carry very small secondary hairs, the white stripes 

 are free from hair spots, as are also white stripes through sub- 

 dorsal (supraspiracular = iii) tubercles, which are also white. These 

 stripes are broad, occupy about middle third of the segment and incline 

 backwards and downwards, a longer diagonal white stripe below 

 spiracle, including iv ; the stripe is from front of segment backwards 



