274 - i December, 



examples. One or two wholly suffused from base to apex with dark 

 smoky-grey ; others with the lines and stigmata strongly blackened, 

 and extremely conspicuous ; others having the whole central space 

 from first to second line suffused with blackish, in which the usual 

 markings are deep velvety-black ; or the central space is so smoothly 

 and deeply clouded with velvety-black that the stigmata are hidden. 

 Of these some have the white transverse lines brightly white, others 

 have them less distinct, or clouded with grey ; most of these have the 

 marginal space outside the second line clouded with dark grey or 

 black, but in one specimen this space is whitish-grey, which, with the 

 black central space, gives the insect a most peculiar appearance. On 

 the other hand, some of the typical pale specimens are of a lovely 

 pale silvery-grey. 



Lee: October 10th, 1895. 



NOTE ON THE FIRST LARVAL STAGE OF STAUROPUS FAGI. 

 BY THE LATE W. H. TUGWELL. 



Thanks to Mr. Barnes, who most kindly sent me on May 21st a 

 living female S. fagi (of the melanic form), which he had found in 

 the Beech Wood near Heading, I have been enabled to closely study 

 the earlier life of this most curious and interesting larva. When 

 found, the moth had evidently deposited a good many of her ova, for 

 during the seven days I had her alive, she only laid 40 more, and the 

 last six of these proved infertile, or so weak, that although they 

 changed colour they failed to hatch. The eggs, when first laid, are of 

 a hemispherical form, flattened beneath, of a pale cream-colour ; about 

 the seventh day, a central depression, and a round dark spot are 

 developed ; gradually the whole area becomes of a dull plum-colour, 

 and about the 10th day, they hatch. The young larvae are singularly 

 ant-like in appearance, their long legs and curious anal appendages 

 seem ever in motion, which makes them look very large for larvae just 

 out of the shell. This egg-shell is to them a most important item, as 

 on it alone they feed until after the first moult. Of this I most 

 thoroughly assured myself, as being an invalid and confined to my 

 room, time was no object to me, and I could and did watch these 

 curious little creatures hour after hour, and day after day. 1 watched 

 them eat a hole in their egg-shell out of which they crawled, then 

 stretching themselves they soon evinced considerable activity, movinsr 

 their long legs and caudal appendages, with a nprvous jerky motion; 



