214 Dr. Wallace on 
never left the papers, and so were starved to death. Another mode 
which I adopted, when I had but a few to deal with, was to dip a 
stiff badgers-hair brush in water, and, passing it under the young 
larva, detach him with a jerk and deposit him on the leaf of the 
living tree placed in a pot, but in this mode also a great mortality 
ensued. I found that a violent wind also detached many from 
the leaves, by inducing friction of one leaf against another, so that 
the worms rubbed against soon fell off. I ‘have observed too that 
after much wind, generally among older larva, some few are 
found with discolorations on one or two segments as if bruised, 
and these subsequently die. Doubtless therefore a great mor- 
tality ensued among the young larvz owing to my inexperience 
and meddlesome manipulation. 
But to return to the young larve: till after their second moult 
they are gregarious, the under surface of the leaves is sometimes 
completely hidden by their numbers ; they feed and grow rapidly, 
but comparatively less so during their first stages than after their 
last moult; they pass through their first moult of skin in from 7 to 
10 days after birth, and become of a light-yellow colour, whereas 
after birth their dark rings give them a dusky look ; their second 
moult takes place 5 or 6 days after the first, and they now secrete 
from their tubercles a waxy powder, which throws off rain ; they 
undergo their third moult in about 6 days more, they then get very 
powdery and assume a greyish-blue colour, the tubercles are 
studded with the white powder, and they look, especially by moon- 
light, like huge sugarplums ; another 6 days brings on another 
moult, their last before spinning ‘This period is a very critical one ; 
immediately after this change the larva eats enormously and grows 
very rapidly, increasing in size as much as sixfold in 9 days, and 
it is now that the formation of silk takes place within the two 
elongated and convoluted tubes situate one on each side between 
the tracheze and intestinal canal. The larva is peculiarly hand- 
some in this its last robe; and it seems strange that, conspicuous 
as it becomes while resting at the end of a leaf-stalk which it may 
have denuded of foliage, it does not seem to be noticed by 
passing birds. It is especially common at this period of their 
growth to see a tree one day covered with foliage and bare the 
next, while the voracious larve are gnawing down the tender ends 
of the leaf-stalks or are wandering off to other trees in quest of 
food. It is a startling surprise to see one day bare leaf-stalks 
where thick foliage existed 24 hours before. 
Now and during the spinning-time an Ailanthery presents a 
most lively and animated look, huge fat larvae 4 inches long are 
seen feeding away right heartily, others are resting, preparing 
