Early Stages of Albulina pheretes. 397 



The full-grown larva (described Sept. lOth), 14 mm. at rest, 17 

 when moving, in length, 4-3 mm. wide from thoracic 3rd to abl. 6th, 

 tapering at each end, usual Lycaenid form, but rather rounded, of the 

 rutilus character, rather than angular in cross section. There are 

 no definite dorsal ridges, and the lateral flange is not very marked, 

 but sufficiently to give a transparent margin when seen from above. 

 The colour is a lively apple green with darker dorsal band (dorsal 

 vessel ?). This area is flattened a little (between evanescent rounded 

 dorsal ridges, part of the darkness is due to abundant black hair bases 

 of very short hairs). The whitish oblique streaks are hardly to be 

 made out. On the slopes the hairs are short, dark with black bases. 

 Viewed laterally, there is a yellow lateral line, apparently sunk 

 deep in the tissues, so far from the surface as to be invisible except 

 on a perpendicular view. The head is small, black. A special 

 feature that is not observed in previous stages is that the hair bases, 

 both of the more conspicuous black hairs and of the smaller pale and 

 inconspicuous but more numerous hairs, are white and glistening as 

 if made of glass ; they are nearly globular, with fine radiating spikes. 

 There is a honey-gland with a row of lenticles round it, but sparse, 

 not, as often, crowded ; dimples are also seen outside the last spiracles, 

 indicating position of fans, that have not been seen extended. The 

 hairs are so inconspicuous that, without a lens, one might perhaps 

 think the skin of the larva a little rough, but could hardly say how. 



The prothoracic plate is small, depressed, and darkened by rather 

 more numerous dark hairs, or rather, perliaps, that the hair bases 

 are here dark, as they are in only a few other scattereti instances. 



It is noted on 



September 13, that this forward larva has been laid up 

 for pupation since description taken and seems close to 

 change ; it is at top of box, but appears to have little or 

 no silken pad and no visible girth. There are also one or 

 two that seem to be possibly forward. The mass have 

 ceased feeding and are divisible into two distinct sets, the 

 majority in third skin, but a small number in fourth, both 

 sets torpid and apparently contemplating hibernation. 

 Some of the third stage examples have been quiet for 

 nearly ten days ; the whole of them now appear to be so. 



As 1 had so few last instar larvae, the following note as 

 another example may be desirable. 



September 24. — A larva moulted into last skin three or 

 four days ago, but now refuses to eat, and looks shrl^Dk. 

 It has the glassy stars forming hair bases like the previous 

 ones; these are largely belonging to the less conspicuous 



