IMiss B, O. CuiTc un DiapliL'ioni''r;i t'ciiiorata. ;')5l 



The eijiTJ', lueasuiiii'; otic-eii;lith of an inch lon<i;, are whito 

 witli a dark splasli ot" colour on one side, liard, sliiny, quite 

 opaque, ami laid singly ; they might easily be mistaken for 

 seeds. At the larger end is a cap, which splits oft' to allow 

 the insect to creep out. 



Juno 5th, three hatched. The insects were half an inch 

 long and bright green, very similar in form to the mature 

 ones, but the bodies somewhat bent, as if they had been 

 folded backwards and forwards in the egg. They feed on 

 hazel-haves, eating the edge like caterpillars, but far more 

 moderately, being content to vest for several hours at a time 

 without food. 



The fourth egg did not hatch till July 3rd, exactly four 

 weeks later. This was curious, as the eggs were all laid by 

 the same insect at the same time, and were kept under 

 exactly the same conditions. It only lived three days. 



June 19tl), 1 found a cast skin, and after that they moulted 

 every ninth or tenth day. Three times I watched this very 

 uncomfortable metamorphosis. Fastening its claws securely 

 to a leaf or some projection, with its head hanging down- 

 wards, the insect proceeds to draw itself through a small 

 aperture made by the skin opening at the back of the head, 

 which is bent forward, the antenna3 and legs all in front of 

 the body. One after the other, legs and antennce free them- 

 selves till it hangs only by the extremity of the abdomen. 

 A quick bend upwards frees this and at the same time allows 

 the insect to obtain foothold on anything near, and so prevents 

 it falling to the ground. The old skin is left entire, a colour- 

 less tissue, in which can be traced every joint and mark. 

 The first metamorphosis 1 witnessed, July lltli, lasted 

 fifteen minutes ; the third, July 30th, forty minutes. 



•Should it, as is often the case, become entangled in the 

 old skin, it can, by means of a weak point between the femur 

 and trochanter, throw off a leg and so complete its moult. 

 The leg will grow again, but not usually to its full length. 

 One of my insects cast a leg in this way, but it was caught 

 also by its antennae, and being unable to free itself died. 



Each moult made a considerable difference in size and 

 colour, and the three developed very unequally. July 13th, 

 after a moult, the largest measured two inches long, was a 

 dull brown marked with spots of dark brown and green; the 

 others were still green, the smallest only one and a quarter 

 inches long. 



The next moult, July 21, 22, and 23 respectively, the 

 brown one attained almost mature colour and was two inches 

 long; the second becoming equal in size but of a pale 

 greenish yellow with a few small dark spots ; the third 

 remaining quite green and much smaller. 



