76 PLUM. [1900 



Later in the year, ou Dec. 19tb, Mr. Newstead sent me the 

 following further observation of the winter habit of the caterpillar, as 

 he noticed them on Pear : — 



" I now find the larvae of this species hybernates in little tough 

 cocoons attached to the twigs of the Pear tree. They are most 

 beautifully concealed, and it is difficult to find them. I send you 

 herewith one or two examples of the cocoons, which you may find 

 tenanted, but all are not so. Ou the longest shoot you will find them 

 in four places, indicated by little bits of foreign substances, bits of 

 leaves," .... and buds. " I thought they might interest you, and 

 throw some light on the winter treatment of the infested tree." — 

 (R. N.) 



On examining the cocoons, I found them (so far as I observed) at 

 or close to the axil of a shoot, and the first I opened contained a 

 caterpillar rather under the eighth of an inch in length, and doubtfully 

 alive, but whether in dying state or drawn up for pupation was not 

 determinable. The colour was of a general dingy green, head shining 

 black, or deep pitchy, and upper part of next segment also shining, 

 but not so deep in colour. Claw-feet dark. 



The second specimen was more lively, and with a lighter ground 

 colour, of a yellower tint on about two-thirds of the foremost segments; 

 the three pairs of claw-feet brownish ; the four pairs of sucker-feet 

 sufficiently large to be observable when the larva was lying on its 

 side, and about the same colour as the body above. The divisions 

 between the segments well marked ; but, from the small size of the 

 caterpillar, the corrugations and rows of tubercles not sufficiently 

 distinct to describe with precision. 



Amongst the substances attached to the cocoons, or forming part 

 of the mass, Mr. Newstead drew my attention to the remarkable 

 resemblances that some dark fine filaments bore to human hair. This 

 certainly was the case, especially where all but what might be attached 

 to the cocoon floated free for a length of an inch or so in the air. But, 

 on examining microscopically, with human hair for comparison, as I 

 gathered that some doubt had arisen as tc the nature of the threads, 

 the diflerence was obvious: it was only the largest of the filaments 

 that were the size of human hair ; the others varied down to about 

 a quarter or less in diameter, and were not uniformly of one size 

 throughout. Presumably they were threads spun by the larva in 

 forming its cocoon, but with a part of the length, from some cause or 

 other, left floating free. 



The only published description of the caterpillar with which I am 

 acquainted is that given in Stainton's ' Manual,' vol. ii. p. 194 : — 

 '•Larva dull olive green, the spots black, head and second segment 

 black. On Hawthorn, Sloe, &c. Abundant everywhere." 



