NOTES ON SILK-PRODUCING BOINIByCES. 153 



been obtained in Spain, by the crossing of mylitta male with 

 pernyi female, and thirty cocoons of this hybrid were sent to me, 

 the moths of which emerged from the 1st of May till the 6th of 

 June. I did not notice any difference in the cocoons and moths 

 of this hybrid from those of pernyi. I obtained six pairings, the 

 last two being during the night of the 0th and 7th of June. The 

 first moth, emerged on the 1st of May, was a male ; the second, 

 also a male, emerged on May 24th; from the 2Cth May to the 6th 

 of June all the rest were out. Before the moths had commenced 

 to emerge regularly, I had received a large quantity of eggs of 

 this hybrid on the 8tli of May, from my correspondent in Spain. 

 These eggs commenced to hatch, like those of pernyi, on the 20tli 

 of May. The larvse looked like those of pernyi, but a certain 

 number were very peculiar, and if such differences occur with 

 some larvse oi pernyi, I have not, as yet, noticed them. After the 

 first moult, however, all the larvse were alike. Those larvae 

 which differed from the others were ash-grey, which changed 

 into a buff colour as they grew larger, and they were covered 

 with long white hairs ; the tubercles were black. In second 

 stage, being all alike, they were emerald-green, covered with 

 small white dots ; tubercles, fine orange-3^ellow and black hairs ; 

 head brown. No further notes were taken. My impression has 

 always been that a mistake was made with respect to the produc- 

 tion of this hybrid mylitta-pernyi ; and that although the pairing 

 of these two different species seemed to have taken place, it had, 

 in fact, not taken place. My correspondent, however, wrote to 

 me a long letter, in which he asserted that the person who had 

 the care of the silkworms was a very careful man, and that he 

 had not made any mistake. 



Anthercca mylitta, Fabricius. — This very important Indian 

 wild silkworm has been reared in Europe by many entomologists 

 on oak, and by some on hornbeam, Carpinus hetulus. In 1885 one 

 of ray correspondents, who reared successfully several species, 

 informed me that mylitta larv£e throve well on plum. The 

 cocoons, of which I had a very large quantity in 1885, com- 

 menced to hatch on the 8th of June, one moth however having 

 emerged on the 12th of May. The moths continued to emerge 

 till the 22nd of October. Four pairings only took place : the 

 first, in early morning of the 6th of July, in open air ; the 

 second, in the house on the 7th of July, at 12.30 in the night; 



ENTOM. — JUNE, 1887. X 



