522 Notes in 1887 upon lepidopterous larve, &c. 
Indications of sub- 
dorsal line and green 
colour of blood no- 
ticed in first and 
second larvie. 
Sept. 13th, first larva showing more distinct traces | 
r PRECCOMG) Meyer traces of ecdysis | 
5, 14th, first larva 8:25 mm. long when extended. 
AA ,», length of the fifteen youngest larve from 7:75—8:25 mm., 
being about at the close of the stage: subdorsal can be 
made out. 
,», 17th, the first larva has changed skin in morning, Stage I. = 114 
days ; the second in afternoon, Stage I. =-104 days. The 
youngest larvee have now been preparing for ecdysis for 
some time: very uniformly of a length of 8-25 mm. when 
extended. 
», 18th, 9.30 a.m., 8 had changed skin. Stage I.—9 days. 
7; yy) 030 *ar me F, - + - ie : 
” 9 1.30 p-m., 2 ’”? 99 ” ” 9? 94 9 
. 3.0 p.m., 1 se rn 5 oe Ree (fisutee le 8) 
iy egg MONO) Geyiaelsgp al % es, ie os ladys: 
=) Oth, 9:25 asm. 2 3 5 (probably some time) (Stage IL=93 
| days (about). 
15 
Stage II.—Immediately after ecdysis the horn is 
colourless, but it deepens into black (except for the 
median zone) in the course of an hour or two, and this 
is also true of the dark patches and shades present on 
most of the larve. The head retains the rounded form, 
but loses it in subsequent stages. | 
This stage opened with a great surprise. I had fully 
expected that the five larvee which exhibited dark marks 
in the last stage, would still continue to be the darkest 
varieties in this, and that the differences would even 
increase. To my great astonishment these five larve 
were much lighter than the others as a whole, so that the 
relations were completely reversed. It will be shown 
below that similar reversals occurred in the later stages. 
The caudal horn is held as in the last stage, but it is 
now very nearly straight. It is still bifid, but the fork 
is much smaller and less conspicuous. Its surface is now 
thorny, from the presence of relatively few large tubercles 
which terminate in bristles: a section of its length 
nearer the tip than the base is now white and partially 
transparent. The general appearance of the structure, 
from the anterior side, is seen in Plate XV., fig. 9, x 24°5. 
The larva is still green and is covered with white 
shagreen dots, each terminating in a bristle exactly as in 
Smerinthus and Sphinx ligustri in this stage. ‘The sub- 
dorsal is present, but is not so conspicuous as it becomes 
later in the stage. All other characters present at the 
