NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 141 



make a comparison of the larvse. I have italicised what appear to me 

 to be important features : — 



First observed on May 2nd and 5th, 1888. Bred specimens 

 emerged in my breeding-pots from larvae beaten off bircli in Delamere 

 Forest the preceding summer. June 2nd, 1888, took a specimen at 

 rest off an oak trunk in Delamere Forest. April 20th, 1889, took 

 several specimens off oaks. May 24th, 1890, took one; 2Gth, took a 

 number off oaks as usual, plentiful. June 13th, 1891, took six ; from 

 these I obtained eggs — oval, brilliant verdigris-green, no ribs or pat- 

 tern ; deposited in chinks of chip-box, surrounded with white down ; 

 hatched June 30th; fed larvfe on sallow. The following is a descrip- 

 tion of the larvae : — 



July 7th. Dark brown, with black head. Segments two, three, 

 four, and last two or three, plain ; the other segments have irregularly 

 blotched white divisions. On the sides of the latter, on each segment, 

 is an irregular trefoil-shaped blotch of the same white. Some of the 

 larvfe are almost black, others are brown, but all have the white mark- 

 ings referred to. They prefer willow or sallow to oak. Proper food- 

 plant birch. 



July 12th. Head light brown. Caterpillar much the same as on 

 the 7th, except that it is a lighter brown, and the white ornamenta- 

 tions are more irregular in shape. 



August 9th. Colouring very variable ; general aspect reddish or 

 hazel-brown. Head small and reddish brown, sligluly notched on 

 the top. All the segments reddish brown on dorsal area, the three 

 middle segments being always of a darker brown ; third segment has a 

 large ivell-dejined excrescence or enlargement on each side ; the twelfth seg- 

 ment is slightly humped on its dorsal surface ; this hump is in the for)n of 

 two notches. The legs, claspers, and under surface are always of a 

 darker brown (sometimes almost black) than the dorsal surface. 

 From the anal segment of this under surface there is always an 

 indication of a yellowish stripe more or less continued towards the 

 head. There is always a medio-dorsal dark brown stripe, very distinct, 

 from head to anal segment ; a subdorsal, well-defined (in most cases), 

 but interrupted, very dark brown stripe, branching to the notches on 

 twelfth segment and then to the anal claspers. Below this is a lateral, 

 wider, pale yellowish or whitish stripe marbled with warm russet-brown 

 shades, especially towards the extremities ; this stripe contains the 

 dark brown rings or spiracles with yellowish centres ; it follows or 

 branches right down the first of the anal claspers, and always appears 

 upon them as a prominent wide double-line ornament of warm russet 

 and pale yellow ; it then reappears on the anal segment, and usually 

 terminates in the anal clasper. Below this spiracular stripe the dark 

 hazel under surface begins, after another stripe like the one branching 

 to the notches. Variations are seen in all these shades, stripes, and 

 colours ; they are either very light (giving the caterpillar the appear- 

 ance, when extended from or on its anal claspers, of a small light- 

 coloured hazel or birch twig) ; ox very dark, when the caterpillar appears 

 to be beautifully marbled with black, various shades of russet-brown, 

 and yellow. In a few cases the prevailing shade of the larva is light 

 grey, the mid-segments being a darker grey, the broad lateral stripe 



ENTOM. — MAY, 1897. N 



