252 THE EN'TOJIOLOOISt's RECOKlu 



tubercles of the newly-hatched larVfO of lepidoptera afford, in some 

 instances, some of the very best clues to their ontogenetic relationship. 

 I believe I am right in saying that there is no description extant of a 

 newly-hatched plume larva, and possibly no material for making one, 

 although " spiritualised " or " mounted " specimens would do as well 

 (or better) than living ones. There are two modes of describing 

 larvfe : — (1) To describe them structurally in order to be able to form 

 an idea of their relationship with other larvrt". (2) To describe them 

 superficially so as to know them when you see them. No one yet 

 has published a description, on the former lines, of a plume larva. 

 Of those described for the purpose of knowing the larva, those 

 of Mr. Porritt, Mr. Buckler, and Mr. South are well-done and 

 exceedingly useful ; but they are nearly all descriptions of the adult 

 larvae, and hence have rarely any hints as to the differences that occur in 

 the successive larval stadia, even in colour and markings. It is to get 

 some knowledge of these changes that we ask our lepidopterists to get 

 us now, or in the early spring, young larvae if possible, but if this be not 

 possible to get us adult larva' later. We have this week received from 

 Mr. Ovenden young larvae of Leinptilns lienii/ianiis, Af/distis beniictii, 

 and Aciptilia i/alactodacti/la, and these are the only species of young 

 larvte which we have yet obtained. We have already descriptions 

 (or material mounted) of adult larvse of A. bennetii, E. rhododacti/la, 

 P. (/oiiodactijla, M. phaeudacttjla, O. lithudactijla, L. Hiniigianus, 

 A. i/alactodactyla, and A. pentadacti/la, but young larvfe of these and 

 many others are now feeding, and we would ask our field-workers, who 

 know where these species live, to try to get us a specimen of each, if 

 only a single one, and tell us where they feed during the autumn months. 



Of pup;e we also want many, and we further want to know where 

 pupation takes place in a state of nature. No descriptions of pupae 

 extant give us details that can be used for classificatory purposes, and, 

 more important, none give us the slightest clue as to the relationship 

 between the sette and warts found on the pupa and those found on the 

 larva, nor comparative lengths of the appendages and wings, nor modi- 

 fication of the headpiece and cremastral attachments. We have pupal 

 material of a sort of A. bemwtii, K. rhododacti/la, P. bertraiiii (the 

 yarrow species), P. isudacti/la, P. (/o)iodact!/la, A. avantliddactijla, 

 M. phaeodactyla, M. pterodactyla {fuscufs), (K lithudactijla, P. wonu- 

 dactyla, L. lieniyianus, L. tephradactyla, A. apilodactyla, A. yalactu- 

 dactyla, and A. pentad actyla. Not that our pup;e would not do well 

 enough with additional examples for comparison, still here again we 

 would urge that the species not mentioned are those most wanted. 

 We have also pupal cases of (>. dutana from Mr. Norgate and a little 

 doubtful material of other species, but living pup.c of (>. distana have 

 not yet been in our possession. 



At the present moment A. acant/uidactyla, A. jnimtidactyla and 

 P. iiianoddctyla are in the imaginal stage, and we should like ? s for 

 eggs if any are available, and no doubt the golden -rod workers will 

 get larvse of L. osteodactyla from the flower- and seed-heads, rather 

 than L. tephradactyla, from the leaves. I do not wish to spare myself 

 in the fact that during the past twenty years I have had every possible 

 chance of accumulating material of many species, e.y., A. spilodactyla, 

 L. viicrodactyla, L. asteodactyla, L. tejtJiradactyla, P. woiiodactyla, 

 M. bipHHctidactyla, 0. teucrii, etc., which we are now absolutely without, 



