170 [January, 



the smallest no more than two-eighths ; on the 11th, I found one half 

 an inch long, and sent it to Mr. Jeffrey, thinking the usual time for 

 maturity had arrived for some of them. 



The Lotus soon became ravaged and smothered with web, while 

 the JSIedicago and TrifoUum had scarcely been eaten, and not much 

 worked up with threads ; I therefore cut away all the tenanted webs 

 and laid them on another fine vigorous plant of L. corniculatus, kept 

 in reservq from the previous year until now ; on this they began at 

 once to spin threads in union with their webs, and, on the 25th, seeing 

 a larva full five-eighths of an inch long, I removed it to figure and 

 keep apart on gathered food ; amongst this it soon spun itself up in 

 a close hammock within a quantity of more open threads, which bound 

 the leaves together, and I thought it was about to pupate, but I was 

 deceived, for it moulted on the 28th, and assumed a coat so different 

 that henceforth it was easy to judge of the relative progress of the 

 others. 



This individual was restored to the growing plant on the 2nth, 

 and made its way to the topmost spray, which was supported by a bit 

 of stick ; here it spun some stout threads, securing the spray to the 

 stick, and then lay stretched out along the stem basking in the sun ; 

 next morning, there was a great increase in the number of silk threads, 

 like the outlines of a long hammock, and in the evening I observed the 

 larva a little beyond them stretched to its utmost extent, biting at a stalk 

 of three small leaflets, which were toppling and presently fell, but the 

 mandibles of the larva held on securely while the leaflets were dragged 

 backwards to the web, and there fixed close to some other leaves, 

 forming a bower-like shelter ; to this it continued daily to spin more 

 and more thx'eads until the 7th August, when some important work 

 seemed going on within the dense interior, for I saw two stout stems, 

 resting on the margin of the pot at a distance below, suddenly lifted 

 up for a moment ; this was repeated three or four times in succession, 

 and by evening I found the stoutest stem had been cut asunder, ap- 

 parently to stop further growth ; next morning the larva had spun 

 itself up in the hammock. 



The remaining larvae soon afterwards spun up in a similar way, 

 though the last two were as late as August 16th, amongst gathered 

 food and in captivity ; for the fine plant had become uttei-ly suffocated 

 and unable to sprout afresh by the binding of its parts together with 

 great quantities of web : probably one or two larvae escaped, as I 

 picked up one' astray at some distance from the pot. 



I do not think it is to be inferred that the larvae are naturally 



