THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 93 



out with the most intense black ; these black markings are, 

 however, extremely minute : the ochreous markings, gene- 

 rally occupying the dorsal warts, cause these to assume the 

 appearance of greater elevation than thev really possess, an 

 efiect considerably enhanced by the more sombre hue of the 

 general surface ; this a])pearance, however, is deceptive, tiie 

 warts of the lateral series, which are giay, being in reality 

 slightly more elevated than those of the dorsal series ; the 

 series of dorsal and lateral orange markings may, by a fertile 

 imagination, be converted into stripes ; but thus to describe 

 them would rather tend to mislead than to instruct; the hairs 

 on the back are generally black, those on the sides pearly 

 gray or white ; ventral surface pale, slightly tinged with 

 ochreous, with a median black line on the 2ud, 3rd, 4th, oth, 

 6lh, 1 1th and l'2th segments, a roundish medio-vential black 

 spot on the 7ih, 8th, 9th and lOtb segments, and a smaller 

 bifid black spot on the 13th : legs ochreous-yellow, with a 

 black spot at the base of each : claspers ochreous. The larva 

 spins a dark brown and tolerably hard cocoon of an oblong 

 form and compact texture : in confinement the cocoon is 

 formed among the leaves, moss, or other matters at the bot- 

 tom of the breeding-cage, often slightly under the surface of 

 the ground. In this cocoon it becomes an obese brown 

 pupa : the moth appears in November and December. I am 

 indebted to Mr. Gascoyne, of Newark, for a supply of this 

 beautiful larva for description. — Edward Newman. 



Description of the Larca of Bomhijx Ritbi (Fox Moth). — 

 The egg is laid at the beginning of June, on Calluna vul- 

 garis (ling), Betula glutinosa and B. alba (birch), and various 

 other trees and shrubs ; the larva emerges in fourteen or 

 fifteen days, and feeds on the leaves of the plants mentioned ; 

 it is full-fed in September, and then may be found not un- 

 commonly on heaths and commons, a conspicuous object ; 

 when handled it feigns death, rolling itself in a very compact 

 ring. Head narrower than the 2nd segment, the width of 

 which is increased by a fleshy protuberance on each side of 

 the head ; with this exception the body is uniformly cylin- 

 drical, and clothed throughout with downy hairs. The colour 

 until the last change of skin is intense velvety black, with a 

 yellow band on both the anterior and posterior margin of the 

 2nd and 3rd segments, and on the posterior margin only of 



