SATURNIA MYLITTA. 147 



greyish yellow, the antenna?, which are strongly 

 pectinated in the male, ferruginous. The colour of 

 the insect on the under side is greyish-brown, and 

 besides the markings nearly corresponding to these 

 of the surface, there is a dark band commencing at 

 the anterior edges of the upper wings and continued 

 across the disk of both in a line with the eyes, 

 terminating at the abdominal edges just behind the 

 body. The upper wings are strongly falcate, par- 

 ticularly in the male. 



The eggs of this valuable species are white, round, 

 compressed, with a depression or pit in the centre 

 on each side ; the circumference crossed with ruga?, 

 corresponding with the rings of the enclosed animal. 

 They hatch in from two to four weeks, according 

 to the state of the weather. 



The caterpillars acquire their full size, which is 

 about four inches in length and three in circum- 

 ference, in about six weeks ; they are of a yellowish- 

 green colour, and composed of ten segments, of 

 which the posterior one is in some degree bifid. 

 There is a light yellowish coloured stripe on each 

 side, which runs from the second or third anterior 

 segment to the incisure of the last; immediately 

 under these stripes, the middle five, six, or seven 

 segments are marked with an oblong gold-coloured 

 speck. The back is also marked with a few round 

 darker coloured spots, and a few long, coarse, dis- 

 tinct hairs issue from these spots, with others of a 

 smaller size scattered over the insect. When these 

 caterpillars approach near their full size, they are 



