TRIFID^. 231 



Larva very hairy, the hairs arranged in long dense tufts 

 parted down the centre of the back, which is thus left 

 exposed ; sides covered with long hairs ; head large, quad- 

 rate, polished, edges rounded ; bluish-grey, the body entirely 

 covered, except a parting down the middle of the back, with 

 long yellowish, bright yellow, orange, or brick-red hairs; a 

 lozenge or roughly diamond-shaped silvery-white dorsal 

 spot on each body segment, very conspicuously edged with 

 black ; these spots sometimes confluent on the second to 

 fourth, and eleventh to thirteenth segments ; head hazel- 

 brown, mottled with dark brown and with a broad distinct 

 yellowish frontal V ; under-surface rather light chocolate 

 brown ; legs dark brown. The dorsal tufts are often 

 yellow tipped with red, or alternately yellow and red. 

 (C. Fenn.) 



The infant larva as figured and described by Dr. Chapman 

 presents no resemblance to the adult ; its head is very broad 

 and black, there is a black plate on the second segment ; the 

 hairs, though long, arise singly from the raised spots, and 

 there is no dorsal division nor any indication of tufts ; the 

 body is, as is the rule in these species, curiously parti- 

 coloured, segments 2 to 5 being greyish-brown, segment 6 

 whitish, 7 to 9, brown 10 and 11 whitish, and the remain- 

 ing two brown, giving it a curious banded aspect, which 

 continues till it has attained one-third of its growth ; when 

 half-grown tufts of hairs commence to arise from some of the 

 raised spots, and white markings to appear on the back, the 

 full adult appearance being assumed at the fifth moult. The 

 aspect of the full-grown larva, when coiled in its favourite 

 position under a leaf, or tightly drawn into a ring when 

 alarmed, the white spots forming a circle, and the large 

 strong straight tufts of hairs standing out all round, is 

 exceedingly curious and pretty. 



August and September on horse-chestnut, sycamore, 

 maple, and occasionally oak and birch. When full fed it 

 may sometimes be seen on the trunks of trees, palings, and 



