NOTES ON THE LIFE-HISTORY OF CHRYSOPA FLAVA. 127 



tively. The group of sixteen was found on August 14th of last 

 year, and were evidently just laid. They hatched on the 21st, 

 which (taken in conjunction with my former experience) seems 

 to fix the period between oviposition and emergence at about a 

 week. The ova are of a lovely shade of soft pearly green when 

 deposited. Two days later they begin to change colour, be- 

 coming yellowish at the ends. They then gradually become 

 paler in tint, until the day before hatching, when they appear 

 wholly white, with two conspicuous brown spots at the apex — 

 the eyes of the embryo. 



The larvae, when newly hatched, are about 2 mm. in length, 

 of a shining transparent white, with a pearly lustre. Two rose- 

 coloured lines run down the thorax, and continue down the abdo- 

 men. By the second day the head markings appear. They 

 consist of two straight lines, slightly converging towards the 

 neck; the thoracic lines continue these markings down the 

 body. The eyes are jet-black and very conspicuous ; two slight 

 stripes run through them, along the sides of the head. The 

 tibiaB are ringed with faint fuscous. These markings, though 

 becoming more complicated with age, comprise the charac- 

 teristic features in the general appearance of the larva in all 

 stages. Some of them can be distinctly noted in the photograph. 



The following is a description of the full-grown larva, taken 

 from my notes made at the time : — 



Length 12-13 mm. Colour pale straw-colour with reddish 

 madder markings. The central area lighter, with a dark stripe 

 running down the whole length of the back to the tail. The 

 mottled markings on the back deepen at the sides, causing the 

 appearance of darker side-stripes; but beyond this there is always 

 a light line of pale straw-colour. S licking- spear s^ madder. 

 AntenncB lighter in shade. Eyes black, with a dark line at the 

 side of the head running up to the eye. Head transparent 

 whitish. Characteristic head markings : two straight lines 

 branching outwards, madder-fuscous, deepening at the ends 

 nearest the thorax. Prothorax with two vertical dashes and a 

 central spot, black. Meso- and metathorax each with two black 

 dots. Legs straw-colour ; tarsi dark ringed. Underneath parts 

 wholly straw-coloured. In general appearance the larva is 

 much less hairy than other species of Chrysopidae that I have 

 met with. It is also more cyhndrical in shape (not so flat- 

 looking). It is an extremely active larva, running about 

 vigorously as soon as hatched, and hunts its prey, or hides 

 itself amongst the leaves, with great rapidity. It is very canni- 

 balistic, attacking its neighbours savagely if hungry. On each 

 occasion, when I have bred it from the egg, I have lost more 

 than half the batch through not removing the young larvio as 

 soon as hatched. The apices of the ova lying close together 

 (owing to their being laid in groups), the young larvae can con- 



