September, 1883.] 73 



NATURAL HISTORY OP ENBROMIS VERSICOLOR. 

 BY WILLIAM BUCKLEB. 



A loug cherished desire of obtaining eggs of this species, for 

 the purpose of watching the lai'va through all its stages, was gratified 

 on 6th of May, 1881, when a dozen laid on bits of paper and birch 

 twig were sent me by Mr. H. McArthur from Rannoch. 



The larvse began to hatch in the early morning of May 22nd, and 

 continued to appear at intervals throughout that day and up to the next 

 morning, when the two latest were hatched. 



At once the young larvse took readily to birch as their food, and 

 moulted the first time on the 28th — 30th of the month ; on the 3rd 

 of June, most of them had again moulted, and on the 9th] and 10th, 

 for the third time ; and their last (the fourth) moult began on the 

 17th, and concluded within a few following days. 



Full growth was attained by some on the 2Gth of June, and from 

 this date onward the remainder matured at intervals one after another 

 until the 9th of July, when the last larva retired into the moss provided 

 for the purpose. 



In 1882, I was prevented from looking into their cage until the 

 1st of April, when I saw some specimens had already been out some 

 time, as three or four were dead and much shattered ; after this, on 

 the 3rd, a male and two females emerged, and another female on the 

 8th : three pupa) remained over until the present year, 1883, when, on 

 April 12th, a male was bred, followed on the 18th by another, and on 

 the 21st by a female, the males being much finer specimens than those 

 of the previous year. 



The egg of versicolor is of a good size, about 2 mm. in length, 

 and rather more than 1 mm. wide, in shape much like that of a brick 

 with rounded-o:ff angles, slightly depressed on the upper-side, some- 

 times on both sides, the surface apparently smooth and very glossy ; 

 when first laid, it is of a light green colour, but this, in the course of a 

 few days, changes to dark brow^nish-purple, much the colour of a fresh 

 birch twig, which lasts for about fifteen days, and then assumes a 

 purplish-violet tint, gleaming like an amethyst, and the interior seems 

 a little cloudy ; a few hours later, it is fainter and pinkish, and then 

 the larva soon hatches. The empty shell, with the circular hole of 

 egress at one end, still retains a faint tinge of pinkish-violet after the 

 larva has escaped. 



On leaving the egg-shell, the larva is a stout and robust creature 

 of cylindrical figure, the head, as usual at this time, the largest segment, 



G 



