140 Dr. T. A. Chapman's Observations on 



more probably due to drought than to the period of the 

 season. A fine plant would be 85 mm. across only, a 

 majority 25-30, and some only 20, and even less. 



The remaining larvie were found in various positions, 

 some on the petiole, some under and some on top of the 

 leaves, and some sitting across the centre of the little 

 plant. In no case, either in the field or in various observa- 

 tions afterwards at home, did a larva place himself on the 

 top of a sound healthy leaf. They seemed on the whole, 

 however, to be rather reckless in the way they moved 

 about amongst them. Their hairs probably protect them 

 against contact with the leaf-glands unless they actually 

 Avalk over them. They would eat any part of the plant, 

 least frequently, however, attacking the central bud. The 

 most usual point of attack was the margin of a leaf, 

 approached by the larva seated on the petiole or beneath 

 the leaf, and in several cases the attack was continueil till 

 the whole leaf was eaten and a portion of the petiole also. 

 In one or two cases the larva attacked and ate the glandular 

 processes, until it had cleared the middle of a leaf which 

 then formed its resting-place. Twice a larva, looking for 

 a place to pupate, escaped from a flower-pot by crossing 

 the water in the saucer, so that they are probably able to 

 deal with the habitat being flooded without much injury. 



The larva is a brownish-red above, varying from rather 

 dark to a bright rosy colour, and sometimes with some 

 greenish shades ; beneath, it is green. The dorsal tubercles 

 are darker and more rosy, and retain a bright rose colour 

 when the rest of the larva when fixed for pupation becomes 

 quite green ; the colour involves not only the tubercles 

 but a little of the base around them, especially behind. 

 The hairs are long and slightly clubbed or rather flattened 

 at the end, and so the ends reflect light so as to look larger 

 than they actually are. The resulting appearance of the 

 larva is that it looks very much like some aspects of the 

 Drosera leaf; sometimes the hairs, sometimes the red 

 tubercles suggesting the glands and their supports on the 

 Drosera leaves, and the general tone of colour is much that 

 of the green leaf seen through the forest of rosy hairs. In 

 looking for a larva a slightly edgeway view of a leaf often 

 suggests a larva, and a larva is probably easily overlooked 

 by its close assimilation to the plant. 



The larva taken were for the most part in their last 

 skins, and their measure was 7 mm., and a large or well- 



