Scptciuber, 1S74 ] ^jj 



DESCEIPTIOX OF THE LAKVA AND PUI'A OF BEILELULILA 

 EUPROllBIM. 



BY WILLIAM BUCKLER. 



Ill 1859, I figured tins species from a larva sent mc ]iy a corres- 

 poiideiit ill Jersey, but, none tlie less, I was desirous to see a living 

 example again, for in the interval 1 knew my eyes had been educated 

 continually to see more and more in my subjects, and I felt I might 

 then have passed over something in such a difficult task, which I could 

 now detect at once. 



My surprise, therefore, was more than equalled by my delight 

 when on the 7tli of August, liS72, there came to me four larva', which 

 a few days before had been found feeding on Eupliorhia ci/parissias 

 in the Forest of Fontainebleau by Mr. Evan John, whose kindness in 

 taking the pains to bring them to England as a contribution to my 

 work I remember most gratefully. 



On their journey to me, they had stripped to the bare stems the 

 food put in with them, and appeared restless and hungry ; my 

 first precaution was to separate them, and supply them with some 

 ]£iipho)'hia peplus gQ.t\iCV(i(iivova.t]xc garden, and on this substituted 

 food three of them began to satisfy their cravings ; the largest, how- 

 ever, refused to touch it, and, as it appeared to be full fed, I set to 

 work at once to secure its portrait ; an operation which, from the 

 complicated nature of its details, and the irrilability and restlessness 

 of the subject, was not completed till the afternoon of the next day, 

 wlieu I ])laced the larva in a pot with sand and food, and in a few 

 hours it spun itself u[) on the sand under some spurge and moss. 



Meanwhile, a friend had kindly undertaken for mc an expedition 

 to the coast, bringing back a good supply of plants as well as gathered 

 branches of Euphorbia parallas and p>orthinilica ; the plants I potted, 

 and the branches I gave to the feeding larva*, and it was a pleasure \o 

 witness their enjoyment of this more congenial fare. The Euphorbia 

 prjduH they bad been eating had evidently been regarded as a mere 

 \\\\v\ and tlicir a|)])clil(> now seemed insatiable; eacli larva t'inhraccd 

 till' sea-spurge with all its legs, and ate voraciously, and at length, 

 wIh'u coin|)cl!cd to stoj), it wouM go to 8lee|) without cliange of posi- 

 tion, anil witli a partly tlcvonrcd leal" in its jaws; and tlu>n, alter a 

 few minutes' repose, it w(uild wake up, finish the leaf, and attack 

 whatever came next — leaves or seed vessels — most vigorously ; there 

 was no walking about, the only movement was a step or two backward 

 as the stem .shortened bcneatli il.^ jaws, 



