THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 229 



Pyronota seems to be in the greatest profusion, and the spe- 

 cimens vary very much in colour." 



Mr. Duer exhibited a pupa of Vanessa having some extra- 

 ordinary projections from both wing-cases. 



Dr. Sharp exhibited specimens of Slenus major, Mulsant, 

 taken at Southend : this insect was new to our Fauna, and 

 was hitherto known only as a native of the South of France. 



Mr. Westwood read the following letter from Mr. E. W. H. 

 Holdsworth, dated Shanghai, July 20, 1866:— 



" I trust you will pardon my taking this liberty, but my 

 excuse is this, — reading your revised edition of Drury's 

 ' Exotic Entomology,' the other day, I noticed you remarked 

 that no authenticated description of Actias Luna had been 

 sent to you : as I have reared several specimens this summer 

 I am able to give you a correct description of this larva. As 

 soon as hatched the worm is reddish brown, with two black 

 bands round its body and several black spots : after the first 

 change it is reddish brown, with fleshy points all over its 

 sides and back, each point surmounted with a black spot and 

 one thin white hair. In two or three days the larva changes 

 to a yellowish red colour, a sign that it is about to pass to its 

 second skin : after this change it appears of a light yellowish 

 green colour, ihe fleshy points (mentioned before) are yellow, 

 and each is surmounted with one brownish hair. On the 

 head are four large fleshy points, which are each surrounded 

 by a black ring, below the extreme tip, which is yellow. 

 After the next change the four major spots on the head and 

 the one at the end of the back are very large, and have 

 seven short hairs or bristles sticking out at the ends. This 

 is the last change, and the larva is now about two and a half 

 or three inches in length, and fully one inch in diameter. It 

 is fairly common in the neighbourhood of Shanghai, and 

 always found feeding on privet. Those I reared I fed with 

 willow, and they thrived very well on it. It spins a very 

 large cocoon, fully two and a half inches long, but with too 

 much gum about it to allow the silk to be made use of. The 

 caterpillar has down its back two sti-aight lines or ridges of 

 fleshy lumps, which terminate with a single lump placed over 

 the joint of the last leg and in the centre of the back : along 

 each side and just above the legs is a yellowish line, running 

 ,lhe length of the body and terminating at the fleshy lump 



