THE GENUS ACRONYCTA AND ITS ALLIES. 75 



incisions; ii is still flat and low, and 12 high. Dorsal hairs 

 black except on 6 and 11 and partially on 10. On 5, 7.8.9 and 

 12, they are longer (diameter of larva), blacker, and more 

 numerous. Many hairs on the lateral tubercles are white, all 

 the tubercles have several or many hairs, there is a distinct 

 indication of a white line through sub-spiraculars and a less 

 marked one through supra-spiraculars — both plainest towards 

 the incisions. 



In the 3rd skin, the larva is distinctly white and black as if 

 in mourning. There is a faint dorsal white line on 3 and 4, 

 whilst 6 has longitudinal white lines on line of posterior trape- 

 zoidals, below supra-spiracular and on line of sub-spiracular. 

 On 10 and 11 the trapezoidals are white on a white area, 

 leaving a narrow dorsal line black ; the supra-spiracular trape- 

 zoidals are also on a white line. At the incisions there are 

 indications of white lines on supra- and sub-spiracular levels on 

 most of the segments. Each segment has also a minute white 

 central dorsal spot. The post-spiracular is small but distinct ; 

 all the other tubercles have numerous hairs, those of 6, 10, 11 

 and the lateral ones white. The hairs are plumose confined 

 to tubercles and about diameter of larva in length. It now 

 sometimes eats the whole thickness of leaf. 



In the 4th skin it presents some resemblance to the full- 

 grown larva, and one has an opportunity of tracing to some 

 extent the origin of the more abundant plumage of the later 

 skins. Already they exist in strong tufts, brushed forwards 

 and backwards from the centre of each segment over the next 

 one and with a white dorsal dot on a black area exposed on 

 the top of each segment ; the skin of 10 and 1 1 is pale, but the 

 rest seems dark brown or blackish ; but the skin is little visible 

 as the hairs grow from its general surface as well as from the 

 tubercles, the whole aspect of the larva is now that given by 

 the hairs ; the hairs are 6 mm. in length on the anterior and 

 posterior segments laterally, compared with 12 mm. the length 

 of the larva, not quite so long elsewhere. The forward- 

 pointing brown tufts spring chiefly from the anterior trape- 

 2oidals, those of the posterior are yellow ; the yellow hairs, 

 directed backwards behind the dorsal lozenge, spring from the 

 general surface of the skin apart from any tubercles. When 

 well grown, the pale areas on sides of 10 and ri, and the 

 creamy colour on sides of 13 and 14 are quite evident, on 10 

 and II the ground colour is light chocolate, but the area 

 around hair points creamy white. The remains of a distinc- 



