358 Gervase F. Mathew's life-history of three 



it, and in a moment the egg was deposited ! She then 

 flew up and wheeled several times round the bush, but, 

 as she showed no disposition to lay another egg, I netted 

 her, as she was a remarkably fine and perfect specimen. 

 Upon examining the shrub I found the egg fixed to the 

 under side of the leaf, not far from the tip, and, after 

 thus discovering the food-plant, I had not much difficulty 

 in finding a supply of ova, larvae, and a few pupae. 



The shrub upon which the larvae feed is a species of 

 Aralia (probably a small variety of Aralia vitiensis of 

 A. Gray), and at a little distance reminds one of our 

 English spindle-tree. It grows to a height of from 

 eight to ten feet, bears broadly lanceolate dark glossy 

 green leaves, and clusters of small white sweetly- 

 smelling flowers, with a perfume something like that of 

 privet. Its berries are at first green, but turn to bright 

 scarlet when ripe. They germinate freely, but do not 

 seem to grow quickly, for the ground in the neigbourhood 

 of an old bush is often thickly covered with little plants 

 about a foot high, with a single stem nearly as thick as 

 one's little finger. It was upon these small plants, 

 growing in shady places, that the larvae, &c., were 

 chiefly to be found. Sometimes as many as three or 

 four ova were to be seen upon a single leaf, but they 

 were probably deposited by different females, as they 

 were generally of different age. As a rule the same 

 female only lays one egg upon the same leaf, though 

 she may deposit several upon the same plant. These 

 ova were terribly subject to the attacks of a minute 

 hymenopterous parasite. Only about one in a dozen 

 produced a larva, the remainder giving birth to three or 

 four ichneumons, so small that they were barely visible 

 to the naked eye. 



The egg is perfectly globular above and flattened at 

 the base. When newly laid it is of a pale straw-yellow, 

 but changes to orange in about twenty-four hours, and 

 a couple of days before the larva emerges to a mottled 

 grey, the black head of the young caterpillar showing 

 plainly through the upper part of the shell. 



The egg laid on morning of June (Jth hutched on the 

 afternoon of June llih. After resting for a little while 

 the young larva turned round and carefully devoured the 

 empty shell. It was then a quaint-looking little creature ; 

 its head black and shining ; 2nd segment surmounted 

 by a pair of white-])ranchcd spines, seated upon ear-like 



