THE GROUND LACKEY. Ill 



Malacosoma hybr. schaif/nssi, Standf. — In 1884 Dr. Standfuss 

 made some experiments in crossing three species of Malaco- 

 sonuiy and one of these was the pairing of I\f. netistria 6 with 

 J/, castrcnsis 9 ,• the offspring he christened as above. Since 

 that time others have succeeded in crossing the two species 

 with varying resuks. 



On August 13, 1906, Mr. Percy Richards sent me a small 

 batch of eggs (Plate 49, Fig. id) laid by a female, M. casirensis^ 

 that emerged in a breeding cage, and had paired with a 

 captured male, M. neustria^ he introduced. The larviE hatched 

 out one or two at a time, from April 7 over a period of more 

 than a fortnight. Few of the caterpillars would commence to 

 feed, and of those that took to the plum and sallow with which 

 they were supplied, only four reached maturity. Three of these 

 pupated during late June and early July, and three moths, all 

 females, have emerged up to date, one on July 28, another on 

 August 6, and a third on August 13. The second specimen 

 was very much crippled, probably owing to the cocoon having 

 been accidentally injured. One caterpillar was still feeding on 

 August 14, but died about the 26th. 



The mature larva (Plate 49, Fig. 2) has the head and 

 markings thereon like neustria^ also the black spots on the first 

 thoracic segment, but they are rather large and inclined to 

 unite. The bluish line along the sides is dotted and freckled 

 with black rather more thickly than in castrensis ; the dorsal 

 line is very thin, but bluish as in castrensis^ and the red lines 

 on each side of it are broad. 



In colour the three moths are deeper brown than any form 

 of either parent species that I have seen, but the transverse 

 lines, and especially the outer, are most like those of neuslria. 



It should be mentioned that much information on Hybridism 

 in the Lackey moths and other species will be found in Tutt's 

 " British Lepidoptera," vol. ii. 



