302 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



pointed out to the keen-sighted ardent young entomologist, so 

 much surprise has heen expressed at their quaint appearance, 

 that I think it not amiss to ask the indulgence of our Editor in 

 reproducing a beautiful drawing which has been lent to me by 

 my kind friend Dr. Knaggs, whose son-in-law Mr. Victor Prout 

 has caught and portrayed the larvaB in just such positions as 

 they assume in nature. 



The first time that I met with the larvre of P. imstulata 

 (bajularia) in any numbers was when beating into a Bignell tray 

 in the New Forest, about the middle of May of the present year. 

 A succession of severe night-frosts had cut off all the young 

 foliage from the oak-trees, leaving in their place only the 

 buds, which were bursting out afresh. Larvse were not plentiful, 

 and for awhile it looked like returning with empty boxes, but 

 presently Boarmia rohoraria yielded to the beating-stick ; then, 

 later on, it would be my luck to bring down a couple of Hylo- 

 phila quercana at a stroke. There were, of course, many 

 blackened oak-leaves and pieces of dead wood, with an occasional 

 larva of Cleora lichenaria in the beatings ; and it was when 

 examining such a mixture that I spied some brown oak-bud 

 husks standing up, a trembling mass on the tray. My acquaint- 

 ance with the larva of P. smaragdaria at once led me to detect 

 its full-dressed relation P. pustidata, which, when picked up, 

 slipped through my fingers, hanging by a silken cord like the 

 individual in the illustration. In that position who could help 

 holding it in admiration, wondering at the facile way it fools the 

 naturalist and outwits the bird and its other enemies. I enjoyed 

 a hearty laugh when I got the larvte home, for an oak-bud and 

 a larva were in the position shown (5, in figure) when I asked 

 one of our progressive entomologists whether he happened to be 

 acquainted with it. "No," said he, "I should like to see it." 

 So I handed him the twig, which he turned round and round, and 

 then asked, " Where is the brute ! " thus reminding one of the 

 other Pliorodesma — P. smaragdaria, of which it has been said : 

 " I shall show you the larva and you shall not see it." For ten 

 long months P. pustulata leads a caterpillar life, anchoring itself 

 tightly by a silken fastening to the oak to withstand the winter 

 winds. It is very active when the genial warmth of spring sets 

 it to work to gain the imago state, and it may then be seen as in 

 the figure, sleeping, waking, breakfasting, and taking exercise on 

 the trapeze. 



A most excellent description is given in the pages of the 

 E. M. M. (vol. ii. pp. 91 and 114) respecting the life-history of 

 P. hajidaria (pustulata). It would be superfluous for me to add 

 to the information which the Kevs. E. Horton and John Hellins 

 have there supplied. My desire is to try to make the larva 

 familiar to the collector, and I trust that these few remarks 

 may have the desired result. 



