382 



that the Royal Mail steamers ply between those two points, so that a 

 scale would be raii(;h more likely to be carried from Barbados to Jam- 

 aica than from Cuba, there being no regular communication with the 

 latter island. 



LIFE-HISTORY OF CALOTHYSANIS AMATURARIA WALK., A GEO- 



METRID MOTH. 



By A. S. Packard, M. D., I'rovidtnce, R. I. 



Fui. 76. — Calothysanis amaturaria: a 

 young larva; 6 glandular hairs — enlarged 

 (original). 



Fig. 77. — Calothysanis amaturaria, full gi-own larva : a, 

 from side; 6, from above — enlarged (original). 



Ill August, 1890, I received from Mr. Frederick B. Simpson, of New 

 York City, the larvae of this geometer, which, afterrearing, I identified, 

 and as the transformations of this genus have hitherto been unknown, 

 and the appearance and markings are very singular, I asked Mr. Simp- 

 son to send me the eggs, which he kindly did, also at my request pre- 

 paring for me the following account of its habits : 



The moths emerge usually between 12 m. and 4 p. m. Coition takes place very 

 soon after emergence; it does not last long. I have not yot noted the length of 

 time. The female commences to lay on the same day that she emerges. The eggs 

 are laid promiscuously, some on the food-plant and some on adjoining plants; when 

 deposited on the food-plant they are usually placed upon and underneath the edges 

 of the leaf near the tip, but sometimes upon the stem and rarely in the middle of 

 the leaf. I measured one egg. It was 0.023 inch long and 0.012 iu width. When first 

 laid the eggs are of a very light yellow (almost white), but within twenty-four 

 hours they turn red. I found, however, one moth that laid a few eggs which did not 

 turn red (I send them in piece of paper in box with others), but, strange to say, all 

 other eggs laid by the same female turned red. The light ones were the first laid. 



The food-plant is the Wild Buckwheat. 



Mr. Simpson sent me about 73 eggs laid in New York " August 14 

 and 15 by 9 taken August 14." By this statement we infer thut the 

 whole lot were laid by a single moth. He afterwards wrote me that 

 some eggs "which were laid August 16-18 and hatched August 22-li3 

 molted yesterday, August 31. I send you by this mail some of the 

 larvae; their length immediately after molting was 0.27 inch." 





