1S79.] 55 



Barretti I seem first to have established the fact that it is not a 

 Diantlioecia, although it certainly has some affinity to that genus, as 

 shown in the solitary instance of one infant larva out of nine making 

 its way into a seed capsule and there sustaining itself on the unripe 

 seeds ; and again more particularly is this shown in the form of the 

 pupa. Next, that from the behaviour of the other eight larvae they 

 proved clearly enough that their normal habit is to enter the stems of 

 the plant, and through them by degrees arrive at the root, where they 

 feed and mature ; a habit well confirmed by the structure and appear- 

 ance of the larva itself, which, not only when full-fed, but even in its 

 earlier age between the first and second moult, agreed so well with 

 Gueuee's description of that of Liiperina luteago {_vide " Nocluelites," 

 tome 1, p. 181), that although some disparity of size and colouring 

 exists in the perfect insects, as most obligingly shown to me by Mr. 

 E. Birchall, yet I am constrained by the evidence, to believe Barretti to 

 be an isolated and melanic variety of luteago.'* 

 Emsworth : J^dt/ ^th, 1879. 



FURTHEE OBSEEVATIONS on the PUPATION of the NTMPHALID^. 

 BY J. A. OSBOENE, M.D. 



Having obtained a large supply of the caterpillars of Vanessa 

 urticcB in the middle of June, and seen them pupating by the dozen 

 for the last two or three days, I have been able to get some further 

 insight into the nature and formation of the suspensory ligament, 

 which performs so important a function in the pupation of these but- 

 terflies. That there is a ligament in the last stage of exclusion formed 

 under the natural conditions and essential to the function, I think the 

 observations of Mr. "W. H. Edwards, of Coalburg, W. Va., as detailed 

 in the March number of this Magazine, leave no longer any room for 

 doubt. The opinion given by Dr. Chapman (vol. xv, p. 136) on one 

 of the specimens forwarded to him, is also quite correct. I recollect 

 perfectly the preparation of P. hrassicce of which he speaks, and in 

 the light of recent experience, I now know that the ligament had not 

 then been formed ; but, within these last few days, I have repeatedly 

 seen it in process of formation, beginning with the stage in which the 

 specimen of hrassicce was, when I arrested the progress of its exclusion. 

 As I am writing, a caterpillar (and now a second, and a third) lying 

 in a tray before me, has begun its exclusion. I place it, back down- 

 wards, in a shallow groove cut in the end of a bottle cork. As soon 



* When last in London, Dr. Staudinger stated to me that, in his opinion, D. Barretti is a form 

 of D. luteago. — R. McL. 



