2(38 [December, 



that the supply of catkins rapidly came to an end. The larvae were 

 again supplied with various low plants and the fully formed leaves of 

 Lombardy poplar, and at once began to feed on the latter. 



There was some disposition at first spin the leaves together, 

 mostly those at the end of a twig, but the larva? grew they aban- 

 doned this habit. They still, however, kept out of sight as much as 

 possible, generally lying between a leaf and the bottom of the box in 

 which they were kept. 



As the larva? seemed to need some better shelter than the green 

 food-plant, they were given bundles of last year's oak leaves loosely 

 tied together, and they invariably retired into these when not feeding. 



When the larva? seemed nearly full fed they were supplied with 

 soil, and into this they burrowed in the daytime ; later on they all 

 burrowed and spun close, though very flexible, cocoons with particles 

 of earth mixed with the silk. The last batch stopped feeding by May 

 29th, and the first pupa was noticed on .Tune 2nd. 



The. insects began to emerge on July 20th, and were all out by 

 August 15th, a full month before their usual time. This may have 

 been due to the fact tbat they were fed up in tin boxes, for the imagos 

 from a smaller batch of egsfs laid by the same female, but reared 

 separately by a friend in ordinary breeding cages, did not emerge till 

 the middle of September, their normal time. 



The eggs ai'e shaped and ribbed like a sea-urchin, but are more flattened ; the 

 colour is apple-green. They were laid very close to, and in many cases overlapping, 

 each other. The shells are very flexible, as those laid right in the corner of the box 

 were forced quite out of their proper shape. 



On first emerging from the egg the larvae were iron-grey with a darker head, 

 but in a few days they had changed to a dull white ; still however keeping the dark 

 head. 



In about a fortnight the larvae had reached a length of one-quarter to three- 

 eighths of an inch. The colour was then translucent reddish-brown on the back, 

 with three very narrow pale lines ; the lateral lines were darker and browner, and 

 below them was a whitish streak. Underbody green, head brown, but not so 

 dark as the lateral lines ; there was also a brown plate on the first segment behind 

 the head. The first three segments tapered very perceptibly towards the head. 



When nearly full grown the larvoa looked very different. The head and prolegs 

 were bright brown ; the plate behind the head was darker, showing the dorsal line 

 cream-coloured and very narrow ; and the subdorsal lines also cream but broader. 

 From the back the light dorsal line did not show very distinctly, except at the 

 point of each segment ; it was lowered on each side by a dark brown line, which 

 were also more pronounced at the front of the segments. The subdorsal lines were 

 similar but less marked than the dorsal, in contrast to the way they showed on the 

 plate. The spiracles showed as minute black dots. 



