98 THE entomologist's record. 



the leaf, though at first sight one would suppose the legs to be 

 in the interior of the ring, as in other larvae when curled up. 

 This is a very similar result, though attained in a somewhat 

 different manner to that which is met with in Viminia, which 

 curl up, yet somehow hold on by the anal prolegs. The larva 

 always rests underneath the leaf, and is conspicuous even among 

 Acronycta as being subject to the attacks of TachincB. The 

 remarkable and handsome arrangement of hairs and the 

 dorsal diamonds make a very attractive larva, yet, from having 

 hardly ever met with it myself, I have failed to interest myself 

 in this species so much as in some of the others. If it occurs 

 in the west of England, it must be very rare, nor does it 

 extend far north. Horse chestnut seems to be its favourite 

 food in England, though it also occurs freely (when it does 

 occur) on sycamore, and less so on maple. I have met with 

 it on oak, and believe that it is occasionally found on various 

 other foodplants. 



In pupating aceris differs from the other Ctispidice in not 

 burrowing into rotten wood or otherwise excavating a cavity 

 or burrow. It likes to get behind a loose chip of wood or 

 bark, or into a mixture of wood chips and dead leaves and will 

 spin up among dead leaves, in moss, etc. A cocoon formed among 

 wood chips has first a wide outer area of loose spinning, then a 

 distinct cocoon of rather loose texture, about i^^ in. byf broad, 

 consisting of a very pale brownish (nearly white) silk, with the 

 hairs of the larvae and numerous wood chips interwoven. 

 Inside this, and on one side continuous with it, is the inner 

 cocoon, of tough white silk, dense and firm, with wood chips 

 included in its thickness ; the toughness is equal to, if not 

 greater than that of mcnyanthidis or ruinicis. This inner cocoon 

 is i^ in. X ^ in. Internally it is lined with white silk, but is 

 rough and irregular rather than smooth, as the interiors of 

 cocoons usually are. I have also had cocoons made in moss, 

 which were almost exactly of Viminia type, but these were sent 

 me and had, I fancy, been deprived of the outer envelope and 

 were only the inner true cocoons. 



The pupa (PI. IV., fig. 2) is 22-25 mm. long, 13 for wings, 

 and 9 for free abdomen, width 7 mm., fairly equal to gth 

 segment, then tapering to extremity, but with decided angular 

 ribbing at spiracular lines. The colour, and texture is the 

 brown chitinous of the CiispidicB. The rich brown has darker 

 lines at the margins of segments, especially of 4, 5, 6 and 7, 

 also a dark dorsal line widened in places, as if it were the 



