66 THE entomolooist's record. 



The following movements I carefully timed with a stop watch. The 

 first five strands w^ere ejected and placed in position slowly, and with 

 apparently great care, the time occupied being 18f seconds, but the 

 rate then quickened and I found the remaining 109 strands forming 

 the first cable (there were thus 114 in all) were issued with marvellous 

 precision at the rate of one every 1^ seconds. Thus the total time 

 taken to complete this "rope" was 182i seconds. The wonderful 

 uniform rate of movement was startling. The cable had drawn the 

 edges to within -^^ of an inch to each other. Seven and a half seconds' rest 

 in its now commenced "mine " and it moved slightly backwards to below 

 the fastening, and peering over its work, seemed to be contemplating 

 the proper position of the next. This it began in llf seconds from 

 the completion of the first. This next series of threads, was not 

 placed quite equidistant on each side of the original, the measurements 

 apart being -^-^ inch and 3^^^ inch respectively. Very similar was the 

 commencement of its formation ; five strands were again worked slowly, 

 although in somewhat faster time, viz. : 16^ seconds, but the uni- 

 form rate of the remainder was absolutely as before, one in every H 

 seconds. There were fewer strands this time, the total being only 83. 

 This second fastening was stretched from edge to edge, unlike the 

 first, and brought the blade edges together till they were almost 

 touching. The larva retired into the shelter of its now nearly com- 

 pleted home and remained motionless for 10^ minutes, after which the 

 third and final cable was commenced. This was placed f of an inch 

 below the last and the rate of weaving was practically as in the second, 

 84 strands being employed. 



The tube was now finished, the last fastening pulling the blade 

 edges together so that they were slightly overlapping in the full length 

 of the mine which was just under an inch, and under its cover the 

 larva now disappeared. No attempt to commence devouring its home 

 during the next two days appeared to me to be curious, and not until 

 July 3rd, did it make a movement so far as I could judge. On that 

 day at 8 p.m., I noticed a quick jerky motion of the head which was 

 thrust out between two of the cables. This peculiar motion, which, 

 after a short time, caused one of the "ropes" to break away, seemed to 

 mean that something was amiss. At 5 p.m. it had crawled forward, and 

 the head and thoracic segments were clear of the tube, but it immediately 

 retreated and continued these backward and forward movements for 

 fovir minutes, when it finally retired out of sight. The next day it 

 Avas dead. The first moult was evidently due to take place on the 

 3rd when the above curious movements were made. — H. Wood, Ashford, 

 Kent. November 10th, 1907. 



"Forward" larv.e of Arctia villica. — In June last, some eggs 

 of Arctia villica, laid by a $ captured in Essex, came into my 

 possession; they hatched in due course, and the larvae fed well 

 chiefly on plum. As they were actively feeding at the end of 

 July they were taken abroad with me, and Avandered through 

 southern Switzerland during August, at difl'erent elevations, and in all 

 sorts of temperatures. Continuing to feed in September, I Avent on 

 giving them plum as long as it lasted, and then chrysanthemum. 

 They all fed on, and, in early December, two appeared to be nearly fullfed 

 and one spun-up about the middle of the month, whilst the other 

 spun-up during the first Aveek of January, the rest feeding on cornel, 



