20 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



with its dorsal surface prominent, yet scarcely elevated above 

 the plane of the back. Colour, both of head and body, 

 either pale olive-green or pale pinkish brown ; in either case 

 the body is adorned with six nearly equidistant waved stripes 

 of the same colour, but of a darker shade : these waved 

 stripes are invariably bordered throughout by a delicate 

 waved marginal line of a still darker hue, and are also inter- 

 sected on each segment by a transverse interrupted baud, in 

 which reddish pink is the predominant colour : the ventral 

 surface, legs and claspers are less variegated, having a dull 

 homogeneous tint of obscure pink and green. When full- 

 fed the larva buries itself very deep in the earth or rubbish, 

 and forms a very tough cocoon, in which particles of earth 

 or sand, or even fragments of leaves or little sticks, are inter- 

 mixed and interwoven : sometimes, when a considerable 

 number of these larvae have been confined together, they will 

 bury themselves in company, and their cocoons will be con- 

 nected together, adhering after the fashion of a bunch of 

 grapes. The moth usually appears about the beginning of 

 April, but this is not invariably the case, for specimens are 

 sometimes found breeding in March, February, and even 

 January, and on one occasion a precocious moth ventured 

 out in October. 1 am indebted to that excellent observer, 

 Mr. Dell, of Morice Town, for these particulars, and to Mr. 

 Buckler for the use of exquisite drawings made from larvae 

 furnished by Mr. Dell. — Edward Newman. 



Description of the Larva of Heliothis margin ata. — Feeds 

 on Ononis arvensis (rest-harrow), and is full-fed towards the 

 end of August, when it rests with the anterior segments 

 slightly elevated and arched, and the head tucked in, the 

 attitude being somewhat Sphinx-like ; when annoyed it falls 

 off its food-plant, rolling itself in a ring and feigning death ; 

 in confinement, like so many other larva?, it feeds greedily on 

 Polygonum aviculare (knot-grass). Head porrected in crawl- 

 ing, narrower than the 2nd segment, into which it is partially 

 received : body almost uniformly cylindrical, but having the 

 12th and ].3th segments rather attenuated and depressed; 

 skin densely covered with a velvety pile of very short bristles, 

 intermixed with longer hairs. Colour of the head pale apple- 

 green, glabrous : body dull apple-green, the dorsal darker 

 than the ventral surface, and irrorated with white spots, some 



