NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 171 



crawling up to spin, others hung up for change, and some ah^eady 

 fully pupated. Amongst others I noticed a pupa very recently changed, 

 whose integument was quite soft, and which had not quite assumed 

 the true pupal outlines. On this one I noticed a chalcid, with the 

 ovipositor piercing the pupa, in the intersegmental incision between the 

 abdominal segments six and seven. It seemed firmly fixed there, by 

 this insertion of its ovipositor, whilst I examined it. Thinking to 

 secure it with the pupa, however, it released itself and escaped, whilst 

 I was loosening the pupa. On opening the pupa a day or two ago, it 

 contained nothing but a mass of chalcid larvae. — T. A. Chapman ; 

 Betula, Reigate : May 14th, 1903. 



On the Urticating Properties of certain Moth Cocoons. — Mr. W. 

 A. Carter's interesting remarks on the above subject [ante, p. 68) remind 

 me that I have frequently experienced a similar inconvenience after 

 handling the cocoons of certain Ceylonese moths. I would mention 

 in particular those of Parasa lepida, Cram. (Limacodid^), Lailia sujfusa, 

 Wlk. (LymantridaB), and Dasychim seciira, Hiibn. (Lyraantridse). 

 In all of these cases the symptoms ha.ve been very similar (most 

 severe in that of P. lepida), consisting of an intense burning 

 irritation and itching, greatly aggravated and extended by rubbing, 

 but not followed by any marked pustulation. My experience leads me 

 to believe that these symptoms are quite independent of any mechanical 

 irritation directly due to the hairs of the larva, but are the effect of 

 some irritant secretion present in the texture of the cocoon, possibly 

 in the form of a fine powder. The irritation, with me, has not been 

 the result of direct contact of the cocoon with the delicate skin of the 

 arm, face or neck, but has been communicated to those parts by the 

 fingers that have actually touched the cocoons. Moreover, after 

 repeated examination of the affected parts with a high-power lens, 

 I have invariably failed to detect the presence of any hairs or other 

 visible particles. The thick skin of the finger-tips is proof against 

 the irritant. The larva of P. lepida, the cocoon of which is associated 

 with the most powerful urticant, is not, strictly speaking, a hairy 

 caterpillar, though it is armed with groups of stout urticating spines. 

 These spines are afterwards incorporated in a thin web partially 

 surrounding the hard compact cocoon, but they are comparatively few 

 in number, and are quite conspicuous owing to their size and black 

 colour. If the irritation were due to them, their presence in the skin 

 would be readily detected. With Ltrlia and Dasijchira the symptoms 

 were relieved by the application of common soap, but nothing seemed 

 to allay the irritation produced by the cocoons of the Parasa, and time 

 alone brought relief. Even then the unpleasantness would often 

 recur when the place had been accidentally rubbed. The exact nature 

 of this urticating property in the cocoons is an interesting problem 

 that apparently still awaits solution. — E. Ernest Green; Govt. 

 Entomologist, Roval Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, Ceylon : March, 1903. 



[Packard (1898, 'Text-book of Entomology,' pp. 189-93) writes :— 

 " Certain remarkable spines occur in limacodid larvas, called caltrops 

 spines, from their resemblance to the caltrops formerly used in repelling 

 the attacks of cavalry. They are largely concerned in producing the 

 poisonous and irritating effects resulting from contact with the cater- 



