THE EAKLIER STAGES OF PERONEA MACCANA, TR. 273 



tubercles were not prominent. In the previous instars it was 

 sluggish, but in this it was more active, moving about briskly 

 inside its chamber when irritated. 



The larva reached the fourth instar on May 15th, and was 

 then 8*5 mm. long ; head dark greenish-brown and glabrous ; 

 j)rothorax, in dorsal region light green, in spiracular region 

 brownish-black, distinctly darker than the head ; the green 

 dorsal area at the rear of this segment occupies the whole of it, 

 in front it narrows to a point. The prolegs, feet and claspers are 

 green of the same tint as the segments at the rear of the pro- 

 thorax. The larva still fed between two leaves without making 

 any effort to roll either of them. On May 20th it was in the fifth 

 and final instar. It was now 9 mm. long; the head was pale 

 amber-coloured and glabrous ; around the mouth it was reddish- 

 brown ; on each side of the mouth was a brownish-black blotch ; 

 the prothorax was greyish-green of the same tint as the segments 

 behind it ; on each side, in the spiracular region, was a triangular 

 brownish-black blotch. The segments behind the prothorax were 

 dull olive colour in the dorsal area, light greenish-grey in the sub- 

 dorsal, very transparent, the anal canal showing distinctly ; the 

 prolegs, feet and claspers were the same grey as the subdorsal 

 area ; the tubercles were not prominent, and of the same colour 

 as the surrounding area; spiracles very inconspicuous. On May 

 17th the larva was about 14 mm. long and full fed ; the colour 

 was light apple-green, otherwise, as previously described in this 

 instar, there was no sign of anal plate in any instar. It was now 

 active, wriggling violently when ejected from its retreat ; it lived 

 between two plum-leaves, eating entirely through the lower leaf, 

 and forming a large, irregularly-shaped cavity in it ; on June 3rd 

 it had pupated. 



Pupa. — The pupa is 7 mm. long by 1"85 mm. broad. The head, 

 thorax and wing-cases are greenish-buff, smooth, and glabrous ; 

 the head is rounded, without trace of a pupa opener ; the wing- 

 cases reach to the centre of the fifth abdominal segment ; the 

 abdominal segments are reddish-brown and slightly glabrous. 

 Each segment has a row of spikelets on the dorsum which point 

 backwards. The pupa stage lasts about three weeks. 



The moths which were responsible for the ova and larvae 

 described above were obtained in Surrey, but the pupa was des- 

 cribed from one which was found in the Black Wood at Rannoch. 



The larvae of P. schalleriana appears to be a pretty general 

 feeder; I have reared it here on blackthorn, plum, and white- 

 thorn, whilst at Eannoch I found quite a number on Vaccinium 

 myrtillus and V. vitis idcea. Machin, according to Barrett, found 

 it in numbers feeding upon osier. 



As to whether P. comparana is merely a form of P. schalle- 

 riana, the question can only be settled by breeding both from 

 the ova of one female, but from some two dozen larvse obtained 



