552 Mr. C. L. Witli3^combe's Notes on 



close to that of the others, and the stalk, as drawn out, 

 becomes attached to its neighbours. Thus a common 

 stalk composed of several strands is formed, from the top 

 of which the eggs radiate, brush-like. From three to forty 

 eggs may be laid in one group. The only other species 

 laying thus is C. flavifrons. Length of egg, -9 mm; of 

 stalk, 8-9 mm. Colour v/hen first laid pearly greenish- 

 white, becoming yellov»ish at the ends after a day or two, 

 and then lighter each day until just before hatching the 

 colour is wholly white, with the eyes of the embryo visible 

 at the micropjdar end as black dots. Hatching takes 

 place about eight days after oviposition, the young larva 

 being almost entirely white. 



After resting a short time on the empty eggshell, the 

 larva tests the neighbouring eggs and makes a meal of any 

 of his less fortunate brethren as yet unhatched. This habit 

 of the young larvae would seem to be a very serious objection 

 to the method of egg-laying practised by C.flava, since often 

 considerably more than half the brood is destroyed in this 

 way. On the other hand, weaklings may be thus eliminated 

 from the first. 



In the second instar the larva is yellow with reddish 

 or orange latero-dorsal longitudinal bands, as in the third 

 instar. The head markings are even novv' quite typical. 



Description of Third-instar Larva. (Plate XLI, fig. 1.) 



Length 12-13 mm. Body devoid of setigerous warts or with same 

 strongly reduced, so that the general appearance is less hairy than 

 that of other Chrysopids and somewhat similar to that of a Hemero- 

 biid larva. Colour pale yellow, with two latero-dorsal longitudinal 

 brick-red bands, sharply marked off and darker on their outer 

 margins, but internally diffusing into the central area. 



Head whitish, markings red-brown. These consist of two parallel 

 lines running from the posterior part of the head forwards. About 

 the middle they diverge and become less distinct, often broken or 

 dotted, but run towards the bases of the jaws. Laterally, there is a 

 line running from behind forward to the eyes. Eyes black. Antennae 

 and palpi greyish or pale castaneous. Jaws castaneous, darker at 

 tips. 



Thorax yellow at the sides and in the central area. A latero-dorsal 

 orange or brick-red band runs longitudinally on each side of the 

 back, and pigment of the sam^e colour is diffused into the central area. 

 This varies somcAvhat, so that sometimes the central area may be 



