xlill 
Prof. Westwood mentioned that the late Mr. Stephen Stone, of Brighthampton, 
had bequeathed his valuable « olieciion of wasps’ nesis and other natural objects to the 
Oxford Museum. 
Prof. Westwood read the following letter fom Mr. Edwazd Houldsworth, dated 
Shanghai, July 20, 1866:— 
“T trust you will pardon my taking this liberty, but my excuse is this,—reading 
your revised edition of Dru Drury’s ‘ Exotic Entomology,’ the other day, I noticed you 
remarked that no authenticated description of Actias Luna had been sent to you: as I 
have reared several specimens this summer I am able to give you a correct description 
of this larva. As soon as hatched the worm is reddish brown, with two black bands 
round its body and several black spots: after the first change it is reddish brown, with 
fleshy points all over its side and back, each point surmounted with a black spot and 
one thin white hair. In two or three days the larva changes to a yellowish red colour, 
a sign that it is about to pass to its second skin: after this change it appears of a light 
yellowish green colour, the fleshy points (mentioned before) are yellow, and each is 
surmounted with one brownish hair. On the head are four large fleshy points, which 
are each surrounded by a black ring, below the extreme tip, which is yellow. After 
the next change the four major spots on the head and the one at the end of the back 
are now very large, and have seven short hairs or bristles sticking out at the ends. 
This is the last change, and the larva is now about two and a half or three inches in 
length, and fully one inch in diameter. It is fairly common in the neighbourhood of 
Shanghai, and always found feeding on privet. Those I reared I fed with willow, and 
they thrived very well on it. It spins a very large cocoon, fully two and a half inches 
long, but with too much gum about it to allow the silk to be made use of. The caterpillar 
has down its back two straight lines or ridges of fleshy lumps, which terminate with a 
single lump placed over the joint of the last leg and in the centre of the back: along 
each side and just above the legs is a yellowish line, running the length of the body 
and terminating at the fleshy lump placed on the side of the last leg. The vent and 
out-ides of the two last legs (right and left) are of a very deep plum-colour. In this 
change the black rings on the four major fleshy lumps on the head almost fade away, 
and the caterpillar is well covered all over with thin hairs about one-eighth of an inch 
long: at the base of each leg is a yellow spot, and over the mouth are four spots or 
fleshy lumps forming a crescent. Now comes the fourth change, and the larva is now 
about two inches long: the fleshy lumps on the back and sides have changed to 
_ reddish yellow, with a black ring on the top of each lump and four black short hairs 
also: on each side of the light-coloured line on the side cf the larva are little reddish 
yellow spots, and on the line at the base of each leg are diamond-shaped marks, the 
inside yellow and the outer mark dark red: the legs and under part of the body are of 
a beautiful dark green, the sides a lighter green, and the back much lighter still and 
covered with white hairs ; the legs are covered with black hair, and all the fleshy lumps 
with four or five black bristles. 
“There can be no mistake-about the larva I have described, for those I have 
reared have now come out of their cocoons, and the moth is a white-green, with one 
spot on each wing, two under-wings swallow-tailed; a pink or rather reddish pink line 
borders the top of the upper wings and crosses the head; the body covered with white 
down.” 
