156 [December, 



upper two-thirds of the letter S. It had a deep depression on the back below the 

 thorax, and a square form towards the head ; the wing-cases were thick, with 

 prominent edges below ; the segmental divisions of the abdomen well defined, and 

 on its upper surface two rows of blunt conical projecting points. The colour of 

 wing-cases, head, and thorax, was pitchy -black, with some reticulations of 

 brownish-ochreous, ^visible chiefly at the margins of the wings ; the abdomen the 

 same ochreous tint, mottled with brown, the prominent cones blackish, with 

 ochreous points ; spiracles black. Its whole surface shining, as though highly 

 varnished. 



The perfect insect (a ? ) appeared early on the morning of the 7th of August 

 Wm. Buckler, Emsworth. 



Notes on the larva of Xanthia gilvago. — I feel greatly obliged to the Rev. 

 J. Hellins, Mr. Albert Jones, and Mr. George Baker, of Derby, for their kindness 

 in giving me, this season, the opportunity of figuring and describing the larva of 

 this species, and also that of Xanthia ferruginea ; and especially to Mr. Baker for 

 his caution that the latter species might be amongst the larvae of the former, 

 otherwise I might have kept them together and been defeated. 



But the extra trouble of figuring and keeping each larva separate has been 

 rewarded, as it has enabled me to point out the distinction between two very similar 

 larvae, that may be easily mistaken for each other. The quotation from Guenee in 

 the Manual says of gilvago, — " larva undescribed, because so common;" a passage 

 I never fully comprehended until recently. 



Both species of larva), obtained from seeds of wych-elm, were sent me as 

 gihago, from 6th to 8th of June, within a few days or week of their being full fed, , 

 and the perfect insects appeared from August 24th to September 5th. 



The larva of X. gilvago, when full grown, is about one inch or an inch and an 

 eighth in length, rather thick and plump behind, tapering a little gradually towards 

 the head, and a little just at the anal segment. 



The ground colour above is greyish-brown, having a pinkish tinge, darkest on i 

 the thoracic segments ; the lines similar, but of a paler tint ; head reddish-brown ; ; 

 a blackish-brown plate rounded behind on the second segment, through which run i 

 the pale dorsal and sub-dorsal lines ; these lines are, however, on the third and I 

 fourth segments, generally much suffused with ground colour, and not always, J 

 though sometimes, very distinct on the rest of the body. 



The dorsal line is in some entire, and in others interrupted in the middle of i 

 each segment by sufi'usion of the dark purplish-brown marks it travels through, 

 but it is generally distinct at the beginning of each segment, being there broadly 

 edged with blackish. The purplish-brown mark of each segment on the back is in 

 the centre somewhat of a diamond form, truncated behind, especially on the 

 eleventh and twelfth segments, with the addition of a wedge shape on each anterior 

 side united with it, their points close to the beginning of each segment, and their 

 broad ends forming part of the diamond shape. The sub-dorsal line paler than the 

 ground colour, often suffused at the end, but visible at the beginning of each 

 segment, being there edged above by a short blackish-brown streak, which forms 

 the point of the wedge portion of the dark mark of the back. The sides slightly 



