214 THE entomologist's record. 



upper- or underside of the leaf on which they rest. Even the larger 

 larviT3 do not always eat through the whole thickness, and, when they 

 do, it is only apparently by accidentally nibbling the epidermis, when they 

 have finished the cellular tissue, and thus making little holes instead 

 of the little round pale patches of skin which are left by the younger 

 larvse. They never seem to eat a leaf at its edges, and to the last the 

 leaf gives the idea of being only slightly perforated. The larva clings 

 tightly, and is not easily disturbed, but when thoroughly upset rolls in 

 a ring and falls to the ground. One suspects that, in nature, this does 

 not often occur as tending to take it from the neighbourhood of its food. 

 By the middle of July the larvte appear to be full-fed. Some under 

 observation commenced to spin their cocoons from July 10th to 15th. 

 Choosing the side of a little twig they spin a silken floor, and then 

 gradually weave the sides of their little house, skilfully intertwining 

 pieces of bark with the silk on the outer surface ; then when the sides 

 are done they arch over the roof, still using bark on the outside, and 

 at last enclose themselves completely. The finished cocoon is of the 

 typical Nolid form, like a boat turned upside down, the front part com- 

 paratively wide, the hinder part narrowly rounded off, and the whole 

 appears so like a tiny excrescence of the oak-twig on which it is spun, 

 that much skill would be required to detect it in nature. It would be 

 a great addition to our knowledge if someone with leisure would 

 observe step by step the making of this remarkable cocoon ; which is 

 very similar to those spun by the Hylophilids (FJarias chlorana, etc.). — 

 J. W. TuTT, 119, Westcombe Hill, S.E. Jiibj, 1908. 



Plusia moneta on Aconitum lycoctonum. — A number of cocoons of 

 Plusia vioneta were discovered on the undersides of the leaves of 

 AconitKiii hicoctonum (the yellow monkshood) in my garden at Ilford. 

 In the garden are also growing many plants of A. napellus and A. 

 napellns-bicolor, but not a single leaf had any cocoons attached, and 

 yet A. napellns is the old British species. Is the species restricted in 

 other districts to A. li/coctonit)ii / The imagines of Plusia moneta 

 emerged from these cocoons between July 2nd and 9th. — J. H. S. 

 Harrison, 98, Thorold Koad, Ilford, E. June 20th, 1908. 



The change in colour of the pupa of Adkinia graphodactyla 



VAR. PNEUMONANTHES BEFORE THE EMERGENCE OF THE IMAGO. The frCsh 



full-coloured pupa of Adkinia var. pneumonant/ies has the green wings 

 delicately marked with longitudinal lines of white, whilst the body, 

 also green, has markedly pale longitudinal, lateral, and dorsal lines. 

 The green areas of the wings and appendages then become pinkish, 

 gradually darkening to brownish. Just before emergence, the pale 

 lines of the body disappear, the thoracic and head areas become 

 reddish, with the prominent parts transparent and glassy, the wings 

 brownish, with paler neuration lines, the markings of the wings being 

 clearly developed as the imago matures ; the appendages are also dark ; 

 the body, however, remains green, with darker green rings just above 

 each segmental incision, and dark longitudinal dashes above and 

 below the spiracles. The cremastral area pinkish ; a pale yellowish 

 appearance then invades the abdominal area dorsally. The wings 

 become finally almost black, with a quite velvetj' appearance, the spots 

 on the abdomen darker, and the ground colour somewhat pinker. — 

 J. W. TuTT. June, 1908. 



