100 Mr. R. Patterson on Blaps Mortisaga. 
that she had seen “ worms’’ of the same kind on the earthen floor 
of the cabin since that time — that her daughter, to use her own 
words, “ had bid her no to say that sic an unhumanlike thing 
could come frae her wean” — and finally, that if she saw any more 
of the worms she would bring them to the Doctor. Accordingly 
I received two more of the larvae four days afterwards, and was 
satisfied from that circumstance that the first statement must have 
been founded in error. 
One of these caterpillars was placed on a table, and under a 
watch-glass, that a drawing of it might be made. It moved so 
much about, pushing the glass with it, that a weight was placed 
close to the glass, and two copper coins at different parts of the 
circumference. It continued pushing until it had raised the edge 
of the glass on one of the halfpence, when it easily effected its 
escape. Being placed in a vessel of loose earth, it immediately 
began to bury itself, moving round any lump which was too hard 
to be easily penetrated. In less than two minutes no portion of 
the body was visible. I had hoped to have been able to make 
some observations as to its food and habits, but circumstances 
occurred which prevented me for some weeks from giving it any 
attention. At the expiration of that time I found it lying dead 
on the surface, the victim of my neglect ; and its size very mate- 
rially diminished. The other individual had been placed in spirits 
as soon as received, and thus retains its original dimensions.* 
Description of the Larva. By A. H. Halliday, Esq. 
[Read 1st February, 1836.] 
The Iuliform larva of Blaps mortisaga bears, as might be ex- 
pected, the closest resemblance to that of Eryx niger, figured and 
described by Mr. Waterhouse in the First Volume of the Tran- 
sactions of the Entomological Society : the only parts which afford 
distinctive characters in slight modifications of form, being the last 
segment, the legs, and the mouth. 
The body of this larva is nearly cylindrical, but the belly is flat 
and a little retired within the descending margin of the dorsal 
* In a note subsequently received from Mr. Patterson, he states that in crawling 
along, the larva makes use of two fleshy appendages on the under side of the ter- 
minal segment of the body, near the anal extremity, as feet, in the same manner 
as the larva of Tenebrio molitor figured and described by De Geer. 
