lepidopterous Inrvcs and pu'pm. 143 



figured are similar to those which form the dorsal and 

 lateral rows on the body of these larvse. 



On page 302, &c., of the above-quoted paper I have 

 shown that the caudal horn of many of the young larvse 

 of Sphimiidce is forked like that of S. popnli figured 

 above. Among other instances I quoted that of Ancenjx 

 pinastri from Weismann, which is described in his Essay 

 as possessing a forked horn in the first and second 

 stages. On page 266 of the Essay, Weismann states 

 that the horn is " no longer forked " in the third stage. 

 I felt sure that a character so strongly marked as 

 Weismann's figure (plate vi., fig. 53) shows it to be 

 would have persisted for a longer period than the two 

 earliest stages ; and in this belief I wrote the following 

 sentence (p. 302) : — " The fork is so marked in this 

 species that I have no doubt that it really exists in more 

 advanced stages, but requires a lens for its detection." 

 In the spring of the present year (1886) I had the 

 opportunity of examining three well-preserved speci- 

 mens of this larvaB in Lord Walsingham's magnificent 

 collection. Two of the larvae appeared to be mature, and 

 at any rate were in the last (fifth) stage, but in all three 

 the tip of the horn was strongly forked,— very much 

 more so than in the newly-hatched S. populi (Fig. 1), 

 It is thus clear that Weismann was mistaken in thinking 

 that the character disappeared at the third stage. In 

 A. pinastri the feature is not only more prominent, but 

 lasts for a longer period than in any other Sphinx larva 

 yet described. 



3. Notes upon the adult larva of Acherontia 

 atropos, with suggestions as to its appearance in 

 EARLIER STAGES.— During the past summer (1885) I have 

 had the opportunity of examining several larva? of this 

 species in the last stage. They were all full-fed, or 

 nearly so, and probably all had come from potato fields 

 (although in one case the adult larva was found in a 

 hedge). The larvae without exception were of the 

 common yellow variety, and all except one were found 

 near Oxford. It is at once obvious that these larvae 

 present the closest resemblance to those of Sphinx 

 liqmtri. The shape of the head is exactly similar, with 

 tiie same arrangement of the black marginal line rela- 

 tively to the face, except that the black borders very 



