88 [September,, 



it lies wholly free towards its extremity. Its colouring at first, and up to within 

 four days of tlie advent of the imago, closely resembles that of the last larval period, 

 viz., a very pale and delicate yellowish-gi'een, on which all tlie lines of the larva, though 

 faint, are distinctly to be seen ; the first indication of its approaching change is a 

 gi'adual suffusion of pink over the thorax, which, with the wing covers, in twenty-four 

 hours becomes of a dingy greyish-purple hue, the back of the abdomen a light brownish- 

 olive tint, tlie divisions appearing as paler rings, the beak and tail purplish-grey. 

 In this advanced stage, the change of colour is considerable even in an hour or two, 

 it gi'ows by degrees deeper olive on the back of the abdomen with a dingy purple 

 dorsal stripe ; as the body and thorax darken to piirplish-black, so in proportion do 

 the frontal and caudal projections fade away to a greyish ashy paleness, and become 

 semi-transparent, as though empty ; finally, the surface becomes as though covered 

 generally with a misty reddish-grey bloom It is in the purple blackish stage of 

 colour that the fine cinctm-e, drawn tight round the front of the thorax, and secured 

 obliquely a little behind to each side of its abode by a thickening of the silk, is most 

 plainly seen by its whiteness ; the few stout threads that cross over the pupa ateacli 

 end, more or less obliquely, do not touch it at all, but serve as security for its habi- 

 tation, and possibly as protective outworks while it lies fastened on its silken carpet. 

 — Wm. Buckler, Emsworth : July 22nd, 1873. 



Pachnohia alpina Jref?.— Wliile grubbing for Coleoptera at Braemar dui'ing the 

 early part of this summer, I found a pupa under moss on a hill side ; but, having in 

 the natural course of events sat upon and smashed the box m. which I had put it, 

 I threw it on the window sill, thinking the pupa must be killed. However, when 

 packing up on tlie morning of my departure, I saw a moth walking \ip the blind, 

 which, on examination, proved to have come out of the broken box, and to be a fine 

 specimen of Fachnohia alpina. — James S. Alli:^, 20, Beaumont Square : Auguat 

 lUh, 1873. 



Description of the larva of 3Iiana literosa. — When shaking seed-capsules of 

 Silene maritima for larvae of Dianthmcia capsopldla, near Onchan, Isle of Man, in 

 the middle of June last, a Noctua larva dropped into the net, which, from its 

 mealworm-like appearance, I at once put down as that of a Miana or an* Apamea, 

 and being too late in the season for the other species, I sTispected it might be the 

 hitlierto undetected larva of Miana literosa ; so, on reaching my hotel, took down a 

 description, and put it away with some Silene maritima, &c. It was apparently 

 full-fed, and I do not know whether it ate at all after I found it ; indeed, probably 

 the Silene had not been its food, but some of the grasses growing with it. In a few 

 days it spun up iu an empty capsule of Silene, and soon changed to a shining red 

 pupa, and on July 28th a beautiful Miana literosa emerged from it. 



Length about three-quarters of an inch, and slender in proportion ; licad small 

 and globular, narrower than the second segment ; body cylindrical and attenuated 

 towards the extremities ; there is a horny plate on the second, and a similar one on 

 the anal segment ; segmental divisions distinct ; skin tough and wiry, giving the 

 creature the look and handle of a mealworm. 



Ground colour dingy ochrcous-ycllow, with clearly defined broad purpl'sh stripe 



