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VI. The larva and pupa of Caligo memnon, Feld. By 

 F. L. Davis, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. 



[Read May 5th, 1015.] 



Plate XXIX. 



So little has been published about the earlier stages of this 

 insect that the following notes of observations made at 

 Belize, British Honduras, may be worth placing on record. 

 The larvae, almost full grown and three in number, were 

 found on the 22nd and 24th of December 1914, on the brick 

 wall of a church in close proximity to a banana plant, a 

 few of the leaves of which touched the wall. This faced 

 north and was well shaded by tall shrubs. It appears to 

 me that the larvae crawled from the banana leaves, escap- 

 ing daylight as much as possible by placing themselves in 

 dark corners of this wall. I surmise that they returned 

 to their food-plant about sundown each evening, though 

 how they could find their way to it is a mystery to me. 

 During the day I found these larvae very lethargic, remain- 

 ing in the same postion for hours together, and refusing 

 food ; but at night they became very active and ate vora- 

 ciously the banana leaves supplied to them. They were 

 nearly full fed, for on the 24th December one of them got 

 in position for pupation by suspending itself head down- 

 wards, the body hanging free, and only the anal extremity 

 attached to a small web on the lid of the box. The pupa 

 appeared on the 26th December, but unfortunately, I 

 suppose during the active movements necessary to cast 

 off the larval skin, the pupa had become detached and 

 fell a few inches to the bottom of the box. Here it lay on 

 one side, and this side was imperfectly developed, being 

 flattened out while the opposite side was normally deve- 

 loped. The larva was photographed on the 22nd Decem- 

 ber, and the photograph accompanies this communication. 

 The second larva began to show signs of a change on the 

 27th December. Like the first one. it also constructed a 

 small web on the lid of the box but did not succeed any 

 better in attaching itself, for on the 29th December I 

 found the larva itself at the bottom of the box in a very 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND, 1915. — PART II. (AUG.) 



