338 Mr. J. Jonnor Woir on Colour 



Upon reaching Blackheath, my specimens were placed 

 .on the Verhascum hlattaria, in my own garden, and were 

 carefully watched and counted daily, until they became 

 nearly full-grown ; at this period of their existence, they 

 had almost destroyed every leaf of the food-plants, and 

 had begun to gnaw holes in the bare stems ; still not one 

 was missing. To make the experiment as conclusive as 

 possible, I attracted birds to the plants, by strewing 

 around them different kinds of food ; this was eaten, but 

 the larvas remained day after day consuming the flowering 

 stems of the Verhascum. 



I also gathered some stems of the plant, and placed 

 them in water in my aviary (which contained most of the 

 birds mentioned in my former paper) , feeding on them 

 for several days four large specimens of the larvae ; these 

 ate up every leaf, and completely defoliated the flowering 

 stems, yet they remained quite unmolested. 



When the time arrived for the larvas to assume the 

 pupal state, I occasionally missed a specimen, but by 

 digging around the stem of the plant, I found the straggler, 

 and placed it in a breeding cage. This spring, they 

 assumed the imago state, and the specimens I exhibit 

 have passed with impunity through the dangers detailed 

 above. 



Cuctdlia verhasci in the perfect state looks like a piece 

 of dried wood, and if my theory is correct, the imago 

 ought to be eaten by birds, because its coloration is pro- 

 tective ; and upon placing it in the aviary, it was at once 

 seized and greedily devoured. 



The following observations are taken from my journal, 

 in which the notes were entered at the time the experi- 

 ments were made with the birds in my aviary. 



The larvae of Odonestis potatoria and Lasiocampa quercus 

 were not eaten, but were quite disregarded even when 

 moving. These are both hairy larva?. 



The larvae of Eriogaster laneMris, even in the young 

 state, before the hairs had assumed the brown colour 

 and the specimens appeared almost smooth, were refused 

 entirely. 



The gaily coloured larva of Diloha cccrulcocephala was 

 examined when moving, but not eaten. 



