[January iSgs- 



PSYCHE. 



191 



width 3.2 mm. Body pale blue or blue-gray 

 up to and including the blue band in sub- 

 dorsal space leaving a few black dots and 

 the row of lateral spots which indent the 

 lower edge of the band. Dorsal space black, 

 the blue dorsal line broken a little in middle 

 of each segment or continuous. Red marks 

 absent or a partly duplicated ad-dorsal line 

 with a few subdorsal dots. Hair all red, 

 thin dorsally, not obscuring the body, quite 

 thick subventrally but not tufted. Venter 

 grav at first, later black, often patched with 

 blue. 



Cocoon and pupa as in the other species 

 of Clisiocampa. 



Food flanls. Willow and poplar (Nash), 

 wild cherry and wild rose (Wiley) and wild 

 gooseberry. 



UNCERTAINTY OF THE DURATION 

 OF ANY STAGE IN THE LIFE- 

 HISTORY OF MOTHS. 



Cressom'a juglandis. 



Diff. in 



Stage. 1SS9. Days. 1S91. Days. No. 0/ Dys. 



Eggs laid July 9 July f> 1S91 less 



than 1SS9 by 



Hatched July 17 8 July 13 7 i 



ist moult " 214 " 16 3 I 



2nd moult '* 27 6 " 20 4 2 



3rd moult Aug. I 5 Aug. 24 4 I 



4lh moult " S 7 " 30 6 I 



Stopped eating " 29 21 no record 



Pupated .Sept. 79 <, <• 



.Slag,: 

 Eggs laid 



Rveryx myron. 



Diff. in 



18S9. Days. 1S93. Days. No. 0/ Dys. 



June 14 



July >3 



Hatched June 23 9 July 19 6 



ist moult " 29 6 "23 4 



2nd moult July 4 5 " 27 4 



3rd moult " S 4 "30 3 



4th moult " 14 6 Aug. 3 4 



Stopped eating *' 20 6 " S ■ 5 



Pupated " 27 7 " 12 4 



1S93 less 

 than 1S89 by 



BY CAROLINE G. SOL^LE. 

 BROOKLINE, MASS. 



So much emphasis has been laid on the 

 number of moults and the duration of each 

 stage of hirval life of our moths, that it 

 seems to me worth while to show a few 

 instances of the variation that occurs. I 

 think that it cannot be stated positively that 

 any species has a certain number of moults, 

 or that any stage lasts a certain number of 

 days. 



I have had one brood of H. caryae moult 

 four times, and another moult five times. 

 The same diiference occurred with C. jttg- 

 landis larvae. 



Owing to my arrangements of the larvae 

 there is no — or the minimum — chance of 

 mistake, the moults being always noted from 

 the same boxful of larvae, and those always 

 the first hatched. 



Tiie following tables show a few instances 

 of variation among Sphingid larvae. 



Smeyinthus a$tylus. 



Stage. 

 Eggs laid July 9 



Diff. in 



889- Days. 1S90. Days. No. 0/ Dys. 



July 29 



1890 less 

 than 1S89 by 



Hatched July 20 11 Aug. S to i 



ist moult " 29 9 *' 16 8 I 



2nd moult Aug. 4 6 " 22 6 o 



3rd moult *' 12 S " 29 7 I 



4th moult "21 9 Sept. 57 2 



Stopped eating Sept. 5 15 " 14 S 7 



Pupated "12 7 ■' iS 4 3 



He mar is dijfinis. 



Diff. in 

 Singe. 1891. Days. 1891. Days. No. 0/ Dys. 



Eggs laid 



no record July 7 



1891 ist 

 brood had 



Hatched no record 



ist moult no record 



2nd moult May 30 



July 14 7 

 " 17 3 

 " 20 5 



3rd moult June 2 3 "23 3 same 



4th moult " 13 II " 27 4 7 more 



Stopped eating " 16 5 Aug. 2 6 i less 



Pupated " 18 3 "752 less than 



2nd brood. 



