282 Mr. Poulton's notes in 1886 



two apical tubercles, which are especially large but not 

 predominant, and are without any distinctive colour. 

 Two dorsal tubercles are especially distinct upon the 

 second and the third thoracic segments, continuing 

 anteriorly the direction of the barely recognisable eighth 

 stripe, as in the young Sphinx ligustri, in which, how- 

 ever, the marking is far more distinct and persistent. 

 A semicircular crown, of especially large tubercles, 

 extends in the vertical plane immediately behind the 

 head upon the most anterior annulus of the first 

 thoracic segment. There are about fifteen tubercles in 

 the semicircle, and they are directed forwards, and 

 produce a very striking effect. The first and seventh 

 stripe are especially large and distinct ; the stripes and 

 the subdorsal are chiefly made up of tubercles, but 

 there is some suffusion of the ground colour, which is 

 (as usual) complete in the posterior part of the seventh 

 stripe upon the eighth abdominal segment. The first 

 stripe extends anteriorly as a line of tubercles on to the 

 thoracic segments, becoming at first horizontal and 

 parallel with the subdorsal, but appearing to rise on 

 the first thoracic segment, and joining the ends of the 

 semicircular crown ; but in the anterior part of its 

 course the line becomes very difficult to follow. The 

 seventh stripe is also continued forward to the anterior 

 limits of the sixth abdominal segment. There are 

 oblique stripes (chiefly made up of shagreen dots) just 

 above the claspers on the third, fourth, and fifth 

 abdominal segments. These lines are more nearly 

 horizontal than the ordinary oblique stripes, and their 

 relation to the latter is doubtful. They may represent 

 the forward extension of the fourth, fifth, and sixth 

 oblique stripes (respectively), but they have also the 

 appearance of a subspiracular line twisted into partial 

 parallelism with the oblique stripes. Hence an ex- 

 amination at this stage adds nothing to our knowledge 

 of these lines, which are also found during the whole 

 subsequent life of the larva, and which I have previously 

 described in the last stage (Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 

 1885, Pt. II. (Aug.), p. 297). The extension of the first 

 stripe and the semicircular crown are not equally 

 distinct in later stages, but the latter is easily recog- 

 nisable. The eighth stripe disappears. The whole 

 comparison strong!} confirms Weismann's conclusion 



