1 88 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [xXXI, '20 



is fashioned is of such very fine texture that a single thread 

 is almost invisible except when placed in a strong light. 

 When the larva leaves its host it sometimes spins a few 

 threads as it moves away, but these are meaningless and are 

 soon abandoned. After more or less travelling about, in 

 captivitv, a location for the cocoon is decided upon and a 

 first move made by fastening a few delicate threads in front 

 of the head. The silk issues from a spinneret near themouth. 

 By swinging the head backwards and sideways, points of con- 

 tact for more threads are secured and soon a filmv fabric or 

 awning begins to envelop the larva. Hour after hour the 

 spinning progresses on the inside of the chamber without 

 a minute's delay as if the naked helpless larva were making 

 frantic elTorts to clothe itself as soon as possible. The 

 spinner reverses ends within the cocoon whenever necessary 

 to distribute the silk properly. When complete the cocoon 

 is quite dense, nearly or quite opaque and is snow white. 

 It measures, over all, about 6 millimeters long and i milli- 

 meter broad at the widest part. The cell proper that con- 

 tains the larva and afterwards the pupa is only 4 millimeters 

 in length. On each end of this is a sloping addition more 

 transparent than the main structure, a tapering web, the 

 entire affair somewhat resembling an inverted hammock in 

 shape. 



These cocoons are not difficult to find in the open since 

 they are very white and are usually placed prominently near 

 the tips of grass blades in plain sight, on the upper side of 

 the leaf. Occasionally they are found attached to stems 

 of grasses or among the vegetable rubbish near the ground. 

 On one occasion an ombrodes larva emerged in captivity and 

 locating on a, grass blade spun for itself a very fine, nearly 

 transparent screen of silk. Two very minute ants that 

 happened to have been introduced into the cage with some 

 earth were seen feeding upon this silk fabric and they nearly 

 denuded the larva before they could be driven off. The 

 larva did not mature but gradually dried up without moving. 



The adult emerges through an irregular opening that is 

 chewed in one end of the cocoon. A period of ten to twelve 



