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Larva of Sisyrosea inornata, Grt. and Roh. 

 By Geo. D. Hulst. 



In September, 1886, I found a curious and very beautiful caterpillar 

 on Barberry (Myrica cerifera), at Shelter Island, N, Y. It fed in con- 

 finement until the latter part of October, when it went into a close oval 

 Gocoon, The cocoon in shape and color was apparently identical with 

 those common to the Limacodes, The cocoon was kept in a warm room, 

 and the imago emerged May 2 7ih, 1887, as Sisyrosea inornata^ G. & R. 

 The larva is of an oval shape, the longitudinal diameter being about twice 

 the lateral diameter. It is very remarkably flattened, its perpendicular 

 depth being not more than one-third its width. It has thus very much 

 the shape of the fish known along the coast as the "flounder," The head 

 is strongly bifid, projecting forward over the mouth parts, and is edged 

 Avith pink. Dorsal space running the width of the head, slightly spread- 

 ing at anal extremely, edged with a yellowish raised line, and having a 

 slightly raised line in middle. Also a raised cross space on each segment, 

 the enclosed spaces between the lines having each a lighter spot. On the 

 Sth and 10th segments the cross space is bright red. From the dorsal 

 space the sides slope gradually to the extreme lateral edge, which is very 

 narrow. There is on this sloping portion a longitudinal raised line, and 

 the raised cross lines on each segment are continued to the edge, thus 

 forming enclosed spaces somewhat square in shape, and so the whole 

 surface has under a lens a strongly groined appearance. There is a small 

 tuft of hairs on each segment, just beyond the dorsal space, and another 

 on each segment at the extreme edge. These latter are flattened, spread- 

 ing, each tuft on a projecting tubercle, are dull white In color, and give to 

 the margins a lace-like fringe. The tubercles at end and on sides are 

 pink. Like the most of the family the hairs are probably poisonous. 



I found the larva some _vears since in New Jersey, feeding on Wild 

 Cherry, but it did not reach the imago stage. 



The imago emerged by the pupa breaking open a circular cap at the 

 end of cocoon. The pupal skin was left protruding from the cocoon. 



The Transactions of the Ent. Soc. Lend., 1886, which have just come to hand, 

 contain a very timely article by Dr. Sharp "On some proposed transfers of names of 

 genera," (pp. 181 — 188). The article is too long to reprint, and too concise to ab- 

 stract, but it treats of the priority question, and as to its enforcement in regard to 

 genera. The article is a very good one, and to be commended to those who, fol- 

 lowing out their idea of what the law of priority demands, would create confusion 

 worse confounded in our collections and lists. And the difficulty is, too, that as soon 

 as we had familiarized ourselves with one change, another would come along, prove 

 definitely or to his own satisfaction that a particular species could not be the type of a 

 certain species, but some other must be, and so on. John B. Smith. 



