378 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



these I immediately figured and described, and subsequently 

 succeeded in working through all stages and bred a fine series 

 of imagines from the various larvae received, therefore it only 

 remained for me to secure the eggs to enable me to complete the 

 life-history of this remarkable species. As stated above, I ac- 

 complished this by the assistance rendered by Mr. Gerould's 

 success in sending me the living females. I will now proceed 

 to describe the various stages. 



The egg is conical in shape, closely resembling an acorn in 

 form, but the apex slightly more pointed ; it is small in com- 

 parison with the size of the butterfly, measuring only o\, in. in 

 height ; there are from twenty to twenty-three longitudinal 

 keels (the number varying in different specimens), about fourteen 

 of these run the entire length, from summit to base, the remainder 

 commence about one-fourth from the apex and run to the base; 

 it is ribbed transversely by about thirty-four in number, which 

 extend over the whole surface ; excepting the micropyle, which 

 is reticulated with a network pattern. 



The colour when first laid is a very pale primrose-yellow, and 

 remains unchanged until the third day when it becomes pearl- 

 white, mottled with yellow and leaden-coloured markings, which 

 first indicate the development of the young larva ; it gradually 

 loses the yellow, and a crescent of leaden spots appears on the side 

 denoting the dark feet, and the crown becomes wholly dark leaden 

 colour from the black head showing clearly through the shell. 



Immediately after emerging from the egg the larva eats the 

 greater part of the shell, which forms its first meal, usually only 

 leaving the base. It makes its exit by eating away the crown. 

 At 5.30 a.m., August 13th, I watched a young larva feeding on 

 its empty shell; when it had done, it crawled away and found an 

 unhatched egg close by, which it at once started to devour, 

 biting through three of the keels, when I stopped it from doing 

 more damage, and put it on to a terminal leaf of Asclepias, upon 

 which it immediately began feeding and soon perforated the 

 entire substance. 



Directly after emergence the larva measures i^ ^^- l^^S » *^® 

 head is large, black, and shining, with a few fine black hairs, 

 eye spots olive, and mouth parts pearl-grey ; the body gradually 

 tapers to the posterior segment which bears a dorsal olive-brow^n 

 disc; on the second and eleventh segments are pairs of subdorsal 

 olive-brown knobs, and a pair of transverse subdorsal discs on 

 the first segment. Along the body are rows of black bristles, the 

 tips terminate with extremely minute knobs, each bristle is set 

 on an olive-coloured conical base, there are four above each 

 spiracle on either side, and two below, making six in all, one 

 dorsal, two subdorsal, one super-spiracular, and twosub-spiracu- 

 lar ; others are placed on the legs and claspers. The segments 

 have four subdivisions. 



