MELITVEA CINXIA. 95 



many that hairy or spiny caterpillars are not usually eaten 

 by birds ; but whether that is so or not, there is doubtless 

 here again an instance of " protective resemblance." The 

 caterpillar (and to a great extent the chrysalis too) re- 

 sembles very closely indeed the young flower-heads of the 

 plantain, when they begin to appear among the leaves, 

 and on a cursory glance one would be very readily taken 

 for the other. Ichneumons, however, sometimes find out 

 the caterpillars and " sting " them, the fly this time, in 

 some cases at least, being much larger than the one that 

 attacks M. aurinia, a single grub only being nourished 

 apparently by one cinxia caterpillar. 



The larva (Fig. 90) so closely resembles that of M. 

 aurinia that it is difficult to distinguish between them ; 

 the head, however, is red instead of black, and the white 

 dots are arranged in a double row encircling the caterpillar 

 at the divisions between the segments. 



The pupa (Fig. 91) is short and stout, with a broad 

 head. It is nearly smooth, and, as with M. aurinia^ the 

 back is very much curved, and the anal extremity 

 points forwards. The head is almost black, with a few 

 yellowish marks. The colour then shades off posteriorly 

 through a blackish-bronze to yellowish. There are four 

 orange dots on the head in the form of a square, and 

 a few yellowish ones on the wing-cases. Besides these 

 there is a dorsal line of orange dots, one on each segment, 

 as well as two or three lateral lines of a similar colour, the 

 one nearest the dorsal line being distinct, the others not. 

 There are also some black dots on each segment. The 

 rather distinct antennae-cases are marked with alternate 

 black and white dots. 



On the upper surface the imago (Fig. 92) resembles 

 very closely indeed that of the next butterfly, M. athalia. 

 In both the ground-colour is rich orange-red, with a kind 



