i9io.] 138 



They are now (April 10th) quite lively. The remaining larva has also 

 commenced to feed again. 



These few observations tend to prove (1) that the larvae of 

 C. aurata feed for several seasons before reaching maturity ; (2) that 

 the imagines can hibernate and pass the winter in a quiescent state ; 

 (3) that all larvae of the same age do not reach maturity together. 

 These facts may account for the abundance or scarcity of this insect 

 in certain seasons. Reference may also be made to the " Ento- 

 mologist's Record," 1904, p. 301. 



C. flokicola, Herbst. 

 Last July my friend Mr. Horace Donisthorpe brought to the 

 University Museum a larva of C. floricola, which lie had obtained from 

 a nest of Formica rufa in Scotland, in order that Professor Poulton 

 might witness its remarkable mode of progression, afterwards described 

 in " The Entomologist's Record," 1909, p. 288. This larva I have kept 

 supplied with F. rufa nest material, and like C. aurata it has hibernated 

 during the past winter. Having a larva of both species I thought it 

 would be interesting to place them side by side and note the difference, 

 if any, in their movements, &c. The comparison was made on April 

 loth last, when both larvae were placed on a sheet of white paper and 

 the following notes were made. With C. floricola it mattered not 

 whether the larva was placed laterally or ventrally, it always turned 

 over on to its dorsal surface, and with very slight contractions of the 

 body moved along steadily and easily on a perfectly " even keel." In 

 colour it is pale ochreous-yellow, almost straw-colour, and it is thickly 

 covered with short, reddish-brown, bristly hairs. Its dorsal surface is 

 not strongly convex, and the folds between its segments are arranged 

 quite differently from those of C. aurata. These differences will be 

 better appreciated by reference to the illustration. The latter is nearly 

 white, and its dorsal surface is far more convex from side to side ; 

 it is less thickly covered with lighter-coloured hairs, which are chiefly 

 developed on the sides. Its mode of progression differed in a marked 

 degree from that of C. floricola. Like the latter it always turned over 

 on to its dorsal surface, but its relatively rapid motion was accom- 

 panied by a pronounced roll, like that of a ship, due to the rounded 

 contour of its back. 



My thanks are due to my friend, Mr. C. J. Bayzand, for his kind 

 assistance in photographing these larvae. 



University Museum, Oxford: 

 May, 1910. 



