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11. Further notes upon, the markings <ind attitudes of 

 lepidopterous larv(e, tofj ether witJi a complete account 

 of the life-ltistory of Sphinx ligustri and Selenia 

 illunaria (larvce). By Edward B. Poulton, M.A., 

 F.G.S., F.Z.S., of Jesus and Keble Colleges, 

 Oxford. 



[Read September 3rd, 1884.] 



Plate VII. 



In tlic following paper 1 have described the segments of 

 larviB as follows : — Head, 1st, 2nd, and 3i'd thoracic 

 segments (or prothorax, mesothorax, and metathorax), 

 followed by the abdominal segments numbered one to 

 nine. It seemed better to adopt this more accurate 

 method of description than to number the segments 

 from the head backwards after the ordinary manner 

 (which was used in my last paper in this Society's 

 ' Transactions,' 1884, pp. 27—60). 



1. The Ontogeny of Sphinx ligustri. — I was enabled 

 to obtain ova through the kindness of Mr. Meldola and 

 Mr. William White (who informed me that Messrs. W. 

 and J. Davis, of Dartford, had fertile ova for sale). This 

 was very fortunate, as I was anxious to work out the 

 ontogeny, and fertile ova of Sphinx ligustri have always 

 been difficult to obtain. 



Ovum. — The ova were laid July 8th (1884) : they arc 

 oval, but without much difierence between the two sexes 

 (about 1*75 mm. long and 1*5 mm. wide). They are 

 slightly flattened from above downwards ; the colour is 

 a bright yellowish green, evidently harmonizing better 

 with the under than the upper sides of the leaves of its 

 food-plants, and especially so with regard to privet. 

 Twenty of the eggs sent to me were fixed to privet- 

 leaves, and of these seventeen were attached to the 

 under side and only three to the upper. Of course 

 these were laid in confinement, and it is very likely that 

 all the ova are fixed to the under side in a state of 

 nature. There is also a probably more important 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1885. PART II. (aUG.) U 



