164 LEPIDOPTERA. 



The following description, which has not been hitherto 

 published, is from the pen of the Rev. John Hellins : — 



Description of the Larva of Acidalia circellata. 



On the 6th August, Mr. Batty of Sheffield sent me some 

 larvae of this species which had been hatched early in July. 

 Two of them were nearly full grown, but the rest more than 

 half grown ; the former spun up during the last week in 

 August, and the moths appeared about the middle of Sep- 

 tember, whilst the latter have remained neai'ly stationary, 

 scarcely eating anything since I received them. I am thus 

 able to describe the larva at two stages of its growth. 



The smaller ones are of a dark brown all over except the 

 back of segments five to nine, which is occupied by a pale 

 buff space ; down the middle of this space aie four little dark 

 insulated X's, dividing it into five long diamonds, with a 

 stripe of the pale colour on either side. 



When full fed, the larva is about |-inch long, slender, 

 tapering towards the head, and rather flattened ; the head 

 small and notched ; the skin very rugose ; in attitude it is 

 stiff, not curling-in much when disturbed. The colour is 

 pale grey, or yellowish-grey above, darker grey below ; the 

 subdorsal line dark blackish-grey ; dorsal and spiracular 

 lines very fine and whitish in colour ; on the anterior seg- 

 ments up to five the dorsal line is edged with fine blackish 

 lines, but on segments six to nine the X's of the younger 

 stage re-appear as pairs of blackish curved dashes, darkest 

 just at the segmental folds, and lighter on the following seg- 

 ment j and on the same segments these marks are followed 

 by a pair of blackish dots and fainter dashes; the ninth 

 segment is the palest, and the binder ones are much darker, 

 all the lines being there strongly marked. 



The pupa is inclosed in a loose cocoon, formed by drawing 



