14 [-^""fi' 
Description of the larva of Sesia chrysidiformis. — I have this day (July 5th, 
1866) received from Mr. Meek the larva of this species feeding in the roots of 
Rumex acetosa and some other kind of Rnmex ; he having observed, watched, and 
followed a ? moth deposit her eggs on several of the above plants, and with great 
sagacity followed up his discovery by detecting the larvge, one of which I have now 
the pleasure to desci-ibe. 
This larva has mined in the thickest portion and rather on one side of the 
root ; it has ejected heaps of brown frass at both ends of the mine, and has spun 
a tough silken brown covering over a portion of the side, which had been eaten 
quite through ; this and the frass are good manifestations of the tenant within. 
The lai-va is about five-eighths to three-quarters of an inch in length, tapering 
a very little posteriorly, the head rather broad and slightly flattened, the body 
rather pellucid, smooth, plump, and shining. 
In colour, it is of a dirty brownish-white, with the dorsal vessel showing 
through as a dai'k grey internal pulsating streak, and visible as far down as the 
beginning of the 10th segment. The head rather reddish-brown, and a narrow 
plate of the same colour on the second segment j the anal segment has also a plate 
of a yellowish colour ; above the spiracles are very minute blackish punctures. — 
Wm. BucKLEE, July, 1866. 
Description of the larva of Aplecta advena. — At the beginning of July, 1865, Mr. 
Doubleday kindly sent me several young lavvad of this species which had been 
reared from eggs. They were very lively creatures, greatly averse to light, and 
very active in crawling and burrowing under their food for shelter. They throve 
well on Poh/gonum amculare, and by the 26th of July were three-quarters of an inch 
in length ; they were then pale greyish-ochreous on the back, brownish in the 
middle, through which ran a fine whitish dorsal line enclosed by two black outlines, 
which were united thrice across the white line within, at the beginning of each 
segment, suggestive of an irregular chain pattern. The four tubercular spots black 
and distinct. The sides, belly, and legs darker, of dull olive -brownish, a fine dirty 
whitish longitudinal line above the legs, the sub-dorsal line darker brown, but 
interrupted near the middle of each segment by a short oblique streak of pale 
ochreous from the back, a fine, rather obscui'e, darker brown line running midway 
along the side. Head ochreous. 
Early in September they had attained their full growth, being about one inch 
and five-eighths in length, rather thick and cylindrical, the head, second and anal 
segments but a trifle smaller. The head shining olive-brown ; on the second 
segment a blackish-grey plate, rounded behind, through which pass the pale dorsal 
and sub-dorsal lines. The ground colour of the back and sides very pale ochreous ; . 
a diamond shape of dark grey mottled with olive on each segment, h.aving on its 
edges the usual four tubercular dots, rather largo, and whitish ringed, with blackish- 
grey ; the dorsal line whitish edged with blackish-grey, but more or less sufl'used 
with dark grey and olive as it passes through the middle of the diamond shapes, 
though distinct at the beginning of each segment. A very short blackish-grey 
linear mark on the anterior part of each segment on either side. Sub-dorsal line 
whitish, outlined with dark grey, and in its course sometimes touching each pos- 
