lepidopterous larva and jmpce. 



177 



of the first weighings at regular intervals will show. 

 There was a loss of 21 milligrams in the first hour, and 

 105 milligrams in the first 24 hours. The fall in the 

 rate was very rapid, as there was only a loss of 20 milli- 

 grams in the next period of 12 hours, and a total loss of 

 163 milligrams between Aug. 26th and Sept. 3rd. The 

 loss was not entirely that of the pupa, for the larval 

 skin was also drying up at the same time, and there was 

 a paper tray, which introduced a slight error. The 

 loss in the M^ weeks after Sept. 3rd was much 

 larger than that of the other pupae previously given, 

 being 93*5 milligrams ; but in this case the pupa is a 

 very heavy one, and the normal rate of loss was reached 

 at a later date than in the other pupae, because pupation 

 took place rather earlier in the latter, but such con- 

 siderations cannot explain much of the observed differ- 

 ence. It may be found that the pupae which lose much 

 more rapidly than others under similar conditions are 

 not in a healthy state, and ultimately die or produce 

 deformed moths. 



V. The larva of S. ocellatus was weighed just before 

 pupation, and then afterwards at various dates with 

 the larval skin, in order to get the total loss of the 

 pupa and the skin. Larva weighed 1'975 grams at 

 11 p.m., August 26th, 1885. The skin was thrown 

 off before the next weighing, and the results were 

 as follows : — 



