Notes in 1887 upon lepidopterous larve, dc. 545 
the centre. This appearance is shown in Plate XVI., 
fig. 12 x 7, representing the 6th abdominal segment 
immediately after ecdysis. The areas are the scars of the 
old tubercles, the dark central points are the rudimentary 
tubercles of the 5th stage which still continue to bear 
- minute hairs. It is probable that many of these fall off 
later in the stage. The explanation of the circular scar 
is as follows:—The comparatively light purplish or 
yellowish ground colour alone present after ecdysis, is swb- 
cuticular in position, being contained in the hypodermis 
cells. This colour is not formed in the hypodermis 
cells which are beneath the comparatively large shagreen 
tubercles of the previous stage. The dark colour which 
subsequently appears, is cuticular in position, and extends 
over the colourless hypodermis, and thus conceals the 
great majority of the circular areas. 
Above the subdorsal line the ground colour is at first 
purplish, the borders to the stripes are also purplish, 
deepening into blue in the centre of the darkest part, 
corresponding to the position of the red spot in earlier 
stages; (see Plate XVI., fig. 12 x 7, illustrating the 
arrangement and tints of the ground colour, and the 
scars of the shagreen dots, as seen immediately after 
ecdysis, in the 6th abdominal segment). Below the sub- 
dorsal the ground colour is yellow or yellowish green. 
The thoracic legs are red, black at the tip. The horn is 
reddish orange at its base, yellow at the upper part and 
tip. The head is yellow, but the parts which will become 
dark, are green. The prothoracic plate is at first much 
swollen and green. Three of the chief tubercles are black 
and distinct on each side of each abdominal segment 
(see fig. 12, in which two of these structures are shown) ; 
the tubercles bear long and prominent hairs. 
This examination of the larva immediately after 
ecdysis is evidently of great importance, the stripes and 
borders bearing much resemblance to those of the larva 
of Acherontia atropos in the last stage. It is probable 
that this method of examination will yield interesting 
and important results, if extended to larve generally. 
As hinted above, it gives us the opportunity of describing 
the colours due to pigment in the hypodermis cells, 
before everything is concealed beneath the superficial 
pigment which is formed in the cuticle. 
Comparison of larve in the 5th stage.—The larve were 
