TRTFIDA£. 67 



general colour of the back down to the snbdorsfil region 

 bright ochreous, delicately freckled with darker ochreous- 

 brown ; on each segment, from the third to the twelfth, 

 appears a more or less distinct ochreous-brown diamond, its 

 edges gently vanishing into the ground colour ; dorsal line 

 ochreous edged with dark brown lines, often visible only at 

 the beginning of each segment ; subdorsal lines thin, rather 

 paler than the ground colour, edged above, at the beginning of 

 each segment, with a thin black streak, which is generally 

 slightly curved at the lateral point of the dorsal diamond ; on 

 the twelfth segment these unite by crossing transversely. 

 Ground colour of the sides grey or brownish-grey tinged in 

 front with bluish-grey, the space between the subdorsal line 

 and the spiracles very thickly freckled with dark grey-brown ; 

 sub-spiracular stripe pale greyish, as also is the central 

 surface. The great feature in the colouring of this larva is 

 the contrast of the back with the rest of the body ; and though 

 the pattern is very much the same throughout, the colour 

 varies from whitish-ochreous through greyish-ochreous, 

 ochreous-yellow, cinnamon-brown, rich orange-brown, to the 

 deepest tint of mahogany, on the back. 



The young larvae are at first brownish-grey with black 

 heads ; after the first moult paler brown, with their minute 

 tubercular blackish dots and hairs distinct ; after the second 

 moult brown on the back, with faintly paler dorsal and sub- 

 dorsal lines, the sides down to the spiracles of a rather darker 

 brown than the back, the sub-spiracular stripe and ventral 

 surface paler brownish-grey tinged with bluish-grey in front. 

 When about one-third grown handsomer than at any other 

 period, its colours being then deeper and brighter. (W. 

 Buckler). 



September to May on dock {Rumex crispus and R. pulcher), 

 and probably on other low-gi-owing plants, also in the spring 

 upon the opening leaves of sallow. It appears to keep itself 

 very closely concealed, and is reported to be extremely difficult 

 to find. Mr. Buckler found that of the larv£e from a large 



