370 LÉPIDOPTÉROLOGIE COMPARÉE 



the head to the twig. When eating, at this stage, they prefer the 

 evening and eat whole leaves, even down to the pétioles. If dis- 

 turbed, they curl up into a U shape and drop, perhaps not so 

 readily as a zonaria larva, nevertheless they never stick to the 

 twig as a hirtaria larva docs. They do not remain curled up long, 

 for they soon œase to feign death and climb up the twig again. 

 When fullgrown, they do not bury themselves at once, but stay 

 for some hours at rest on the twig, probably to clear the intestines 

 of food. They then descend into the soil for a depth of about 

 ten centimètres and spin a very weak cocoon of silk and earth • — 

 a cocoon very like that of hirtaria. The larva rests in the cocoon 

 head upward and remains thus unchanged for a varying period 

 which is never less than six days. Just before changing, the larva 

 seems to become a light green colour mixed, on the abdominal 

 segments, more or less with mahogany brown. The larval skin 

 splits down the back and the pupa is soon clear. 



Pupaj. 



Immediately after changing, the pupa is green in colour, the 

 wing cases being a clear apple green, whilst the thorax and 

 abdomen are a whitish green with brown markings hère and there. 

 Gradually, the brown markings deepen in colour and spread, 

 within an hour or two, throughout the larvas with the possible 

 exception of the wing cases, which may remain green of a yellow 

 cast to the end. 



In pomt of size, it is a mean between the two species. Some 

 spécimens, however, almost approximate hirtaria whilst others are 

 as small as zonaria, but the latter may resuit from starving. 



The surface of the pupa is much finer than that of hirtaria, for 

 the minute pitting, instead of tending to become linear, remains 

 point-like throughout, each point being clear and distinct as in 

 zonaria. The smooth fine texture of the wing cases is very zonaria 

 like. In colour the pupa more resembles hirtaria, although the red 

 brown is much brighter. It does not at ail suggest the yellow- 



