the Biology of some British Neuroptera. 557 



egg and its stalk lie in the leaf plane. This renders the egg, 

 always laid singly, almost invisible. Less frequently a foot- 

 stalk may be found attached to a projecting point anywhere 

 on a tree. In four to five days after laying, the colour is 

 greyish, this then begins to lighten, and just before hatching 

 is whitish-buff. Young larvae escape in from ten to twelve 

 days after oviposition (65° F.). 



Within a few hours of hatching, the head markings are 

 visible. These generally are quite as in the full-grown 

 larva. The body is pale brownish or grey. The second- 

 instar larva appears much as does that of the third instar 

 in markings and general colour of the body. 



DescrijJtion of Third-instar Larva. (Plate XLI, fig. 3.) 



Length 6-7 mm. Body laterally with conspicuous setigerous 

 warts. Colour usually dirty white, with grey, or other dark mark- 

 ings. Meso- and metathoracic Avarts and prominences conspicu- 

 ously white, marked off by short, dark, oblique fasciae.* 



Head whitish, markings dark brown, consist of two pairs of 

 diverging lines from the base running forwards. Between these, 

 starting from the middle of the head, is another pair of diverging 

 lines reaching to the base of the mandibles, and in the middle of 

 anterior margin, often two small dashes which may fuse with the 

 last, or may be small or absent. Laterally is a faint line passing 

 through the eyes. Eyes black; antennae blackish or fuscous, as 

 also palpi ; jaws castaneous, dark at tips. 



Anterior portion of prothorax white, including warts ; sclerites 

 greyish, margined with darker. Laterally to these, body is white, 

 between them, the dorsal surface is greyish, but lighter in the middle 

 line. Meso- and metathorax wirh lateral prominences and warts 

 conspicuously white, shai-ply marked off bj' an oblique, latero- 

 dorsal mark of dark colour on each segment. Warts are sometimes 

 pink. Between the two oblique markings the median area is lighter 

 greyish. 



Abdomen greyish above, due to mottling, often with dark crimson. 

 Lateral warts whitish, less developed than on the thorax. No 

 definite latero-dorsal longitudinal bands. Ventrally the body is 

 whitish. Legs translucent greyish or greenish- white ; ungues, and 

 near same darker. 



* In some larvae the ground-colour is reddish instead of white, 

 but the darker markings v/ill always be found fairly constant, so 

 that there is no difficulty in identification, 



