THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 189 



raost critical periods of its life. This first moult singles out 

 the weak or diseased individuals who die under, or rather 

 without accomplishing, the operation. The larvie are now 

 become of a dull green-colour, and, as they sit in groups, 

 have a remarkable resemblance to bunches of the birch- 

 catkins : it requires a practised eye and close examination 

 to distinguish one from the other. At times, when resting in 

 small groups, or even singly, in a reflexed posture, the rigid 

 prolegs extend, and give an outline more or less resembling 

 the midrib and serrated edges of the birch-leaf; and they 

 evidently trust to these attitudes for concealment. They still 

 continue to feed in groups, marching in company from branch 

 to branch as the food becomes exhausted : these groups ap- 

 pear to feed systematically, the larvae going out two or three 

 at a time to the neighbouring leaves, and returning to " fall 

 in," others advancing to take their place. The first moult 

 occurs about ten days after hatching, and about ten days fur-' 

 ther the second moult takes place, after which the larvae, be- 

 coming too large to derive security from their resemblance 

 to the catkins, disperse : their attitude and colour daily 

 assume more resemblance to the leaf: they now grow ra- 

 pidly, feed incessantly, and become very handsome. In this 

 as well as in the pupa state the male and female may be dis- 

 tinguished by their contour and size, the female larva, like 

 the imago, being far more robust and sluggish than the male. 

 When full-fed the larvae for a day or two assume a rosy tint, 

 and then pass down into the moss, leaves, or such other 

 debris as happens to be at hand, among which they spin 

 their cocoons and assume the pupa state : this change takes 

 place, in confinement, the latter end of June or early in July. 



. George Gascoyne. 



Newark. 



Entomological Notes and Captures. 



120. A Geuus of Coleoptera nerv to Britain {Anisoxyafus- 

 cula). — Anisoxya is a genus established by Mulsant, in 1856 

 (Barbip. 45), to include Dircea tenuis, Roseiih. This species 

 was afterwards identified with Serropalpus fusculus, 111. 

 (1798), and appears to be widely distributed over the 



