MEMOIRS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 277 



ring and a costal spot. Fringes wbite. Under surface fuliginous, with the borders white, the 

 costiil and terminal marks mostly repeated, and with two duskier shades acniss subtermiiial 

 space. Secondaries fuliginous, with terminal black spots between the veins; lunulc and two more 

 or less distinct transverse bands dusky; fringes white; under surface paler, with the dusky 

 bands more strongly relieved. Head beneath, front femora and tibiae inside, two spots on middle 

 and hind tibiie, tarsi, jjectinations of autenme, a nmrk (obsolete in one specimen) between eyes 

 and bases of wings, across the shoulders, around the tegulie, and at base of thorax, a spot on 

 each tegula and two in middle of thorax, and a transverse band on anterior edge of each joint 

 superiorly, brown-black. 



'•Alar expanse, 1.25-1..50 inches. Length of body, 0.00-0.75 inch. 



"Described from three ? , one bred by myself, one by IMiss M. E. Murtfeldt, of Kirkwood, Mo., 

 and one by J. E. Muhieman, of Woodburn, 111. — all from willow-feeding larva-. In each case the 

 larva? were supposed to belong to borcalis, and no critical descriptions were taken. The variaticni 

 is not great.; in one specimen the wings are noticeably shorter and more rounded than in that 

 chosen for my tigure, and the marks on primaries are less clearly defined; the bands on secondaries 

 are also scarcely indicated, or only by faint spots on the veins, while the costal marks on prinniries 

 interiorly coalesce so as to form but three broad marlis. 



"The eggs of Cerura are hemispherical, i. e., very flat on the attached side; and while the 

 larva' of iiiultiscriptn and horc(tlix resemble each other, tlieir eggs are easily distinguished, those 

 of the former being pale yellowish green and those of the latter jet-black. 



" The species approaches nearer to the European bicuspis than to the North American boreaUs. 

 I am unacquainted with the sc(7('sc(v'^;^« Walker of Grote and Robinson's "List," but as Mr. 

 Grote has seen luultiscripta and jironounccd it new, I have no hesitancy in describing it.'' 



Of these two specimens, one is like the Candida of Lintner's description in the hind legs 

 being entirely white above and beneath, with no marginal black dots. In the other examples the 

 dots are minute, though distinct, showing that they are on the verge of extinction. 



Multiscripia also varies in our examples from New York (Doll); the hind wings are white 

 above aud beneath, and another is intermediate between the foregoing examiile and those with 

 dark wings. The thorax also varies in the amount of black maikiugs, and the two hinder lines 

 are wanting. 



The following notes on the preparatory stages of Centra multi.scripta Eiley, by Dr. Dyar, 

 are copied from Psyche, vi. 



Egg. — Sliglitlj- more thiiu hcmispberical, the base flat, dead sordid wbite, covered witb luany sbort, dark-brown 

 bairs irregularly laid ou and distributed also on tbe parts of tbe leaf adjoining. Diameter, 1.3 mm. Laid in groups 

 of live or less on tbe under surface of a leaf. Tbese eggs bad hatched when found, tbe larva having emerged from 

 a bole in tbe side, leaving the rest of tbe shell intact. 



. First stage. — Head subquadrate, depressed at tbe vertex, black aud shining. Width, 0.6 mm. ISody furnished 

 with minute tubercles, a spined process at each side of the cervical shield and two tail-like appendages which take 

 the place of tbe anal feet. Color black throughout, a little paler ventrally. 



Second stage. — Head rounded, minutely punctured, with a tubercle below the vertex of e.acb lobe. Color 

 purplish black, a little paler about the sutures of the clypeus (triangular plate). A few short bairs. Width, 0.9 mm. 

 The body has several rows of minute pilifcrous tubercles, two large, thick, heavily spiuose cervical horns ou Joint 

 2; tails long, sbarjily spinose, shiny black, tbe extensile threads ])urple black, whitish at base. Body velvety 

 pnrple black, the venter greenish. Length of body, 4 mm. ; of tails, 4 mm. 



Third stage. — He.ad with two tubercles before the apex of each lobe, one in the center of aud one each side of 

 the clypeus. Color, dull black, clypeus aud mouth reddish, ocelli black, antenna* pale. Width, L3 mm. Cervical 

 horns thick, heavily spinose, the spines blunt aud each tipped with a hair. About six rows of elongated, piliferous 

 tubercles on each side, alternating anteriorly and jiosteriorly on each segment. Tails long, heavily spinose, black, 

 the extensile threads brown, white at base. Body and legs greenish yellow, a black dorsal band covering the 

 cervical horns, narrowing to joint 4, where the dorsum is angularly elevated, widening to near the spiracles on joints 

 8 aud 9, then continuing evenly over the subdorsal sjiace to tbe last segment. Sjiiracles n.arrowly black ringed. 

 Length of tails, 5 mm. 



Fourth stage. — Head dead purple-black, greenish at the sides posteriorly, tbe upper half sprinkled witli little 

 yellowish dots, but leaving a line of the ground color each side of tbe central suture. 



Clypeus and mouth paler aud shiny, auteuua* whitish, ocelli black. Width, 2.1 mm. Body as before, 

 considerably elevated dorsally at joint 4, with a rounded pinkish dorsal process. Cervical shield large, purjilish 

 black ; the horns rather thick aud short, heavily tuberculated. Body yellow-green ; the dorsal stripe black as before, 

 but a little purplish; spiracles white, with a line black border, the posterior ones more or less surrounded by black. 



