372 Annals Entomological Society of America [Vol. V, 
4. MOULTING. 
There is an extremely wide variation in the rate of moulting 
and the number of larval skins shed by the different individuals 
of this species. In general, under normal conditions, the 
larve moult once in about every two weeks, but there are many 
peculiarities worthy of mention. The same specimen often 
sheds its skin very irregularly, sometimes within ten days and 
then again, under practically the same conditions, not until a 
period of three weeks or more has elapsed. In general, growing 
individuals moult more frequently than do those which have 
attained their full size. Specimens which are slow in their 
development, as a rule moult less frequently than do the larve 
which develop at the average rate. Not infrequently, however, 
does a decidedly slow growing specimen moult almost regularly 
once in every two weeks. The full grown larve, previously 
spoken of, which continue to live for a long time before entering 
the pupal stage, have, in general, a decidedly slow rate of 
ecdysis. The average rate is about once in every four weeks 
and this gradually decreases as the specimen grows older; but 
here again there is a wide variation, the different specimens 
moulting once in a period of time which varies from three to 
nine weeks. 
Thus we see that the number of moults is by no means 
constant. The majority of the specimens which complete 
their life history in about five months shed their skins from 
eight to twelve times, whereas, many of the individuals with 
the prolonged larval history moulted more than twenty times. 
The greatest number of moults which I have recorded to the 
present time for any individual is thirty-two, but the number 
will probably be much greater as these larve are still alive 
and in apparently good condition. 
The larve never eat their own skins nor the skins of other 
individuals of this species, even though they may be in a starv- 
ing condition. This was conclusively proved by placing 
specimens singly, or in numbers, in glass vials for the purpose 
of starving the larva, and even after many months of starvation, 
and after the larve had moulted several times, the skins were 
never atacked. 
Shortly before moulting the specimen becomes inactive, and 
a split soon appears in the larval skin along the median dorsal 
