NOTES ON LIFE-HISTOEIES, LAEV^E, ETC. 133 



rather light. Hairs long, tapering, and thorny — some dark, others 

 light. Tubercles, dorsal abdominal tubercles are single-haired, i inner, 

 bears a small pale hair, ii outer, bearing a larger dark hair ; iii, supra- 

 spiracular, is a cone-shaped tubercle bearing three or four hairs. The 

 subspiraculars are difficult to determine in so small and hairy a larva, 

 but I think they are consolidated [Unfortunately I was unable to 

 complete the above fragmentary notes of the first larval stage or to 

 take any notes on the later ones, owing to the large amount of attention 

 required by some other species.] . Habits of Lakva. — It is worth 

 mentioning, however, that the larva is possessed of considerable powers 

 of jumping when startled or touched. With a sudden jerk it flings 

 itself into the air covering a distance many times its own length. 

 This habit is present during several instars. In the second it is even 

 more noticeable than in the first ; the distance covered being some 

 two inches or more. But as the larvse grow larger they become less 

 active, and require more stimulus to start them, the jump being 

 proportionally lessened. In jumping the larvae seem to be able to 

 turn round or over while in mid- air, as they always alight with their 

 heads facing the cause of the stimulus (with my larvfe usually a 

 small camel hair brush or pencil). I was not, however, able to detect 

 the action which enabled them to jump owing to the rapidity of their 

 movements. This habit is probably of great use to them in evading 

 the attacks of birds, hymenopterous or dipterous parasites, spiders, &c. 

 The larva hybernates when about -1-" long, its habit being somewhat 

 similar to that of Kotolophus (lonostupna, spinning a silk web or pad on 

 a leaf as if about to moult. — A. Bacot, 154, Lower Clapton Eoad, 

 N.E. 



The laeva of Oiketicus omnivoeus, Feeeday. — Size: 23mm. long, 

 6'25mm. in thickness, at middle, tapering to each extremity. Coloue: 

 Head, and thoracic segments spotted and streaked with brown on a 

 cream-yellow ground colour. The abdominal segments are dull brown, 

 except at the sides where the mid-lateral swellings on each segment 

 form an irregular cream coloured line. Steuctuee (under one-inch 

 objective). — Dorsal and Lateral views : Head — The six ocelli are 

 arranged in " crescent " at the lower anterior area of lobe ; below the 

 crescent are two hairs, Avithin it are three hairs, and above it are two 

 hairs, besides which there are hairs along the frontal portion of lobes 

 and on clypeus ; antenna have a broad, white, fleshy base, a narrow 

 white second joint, a longer brownish (chitinous) third joint, and from 

 the latter project two terminal processes, a long bristle, and a small 

 joint which likewise gives out one terminal process, and a two-jointed 

 process. The outer maxillary palpus is terminated by a blunt joint, 

 and there are four inner processes. The labial palpi are in front, and 

 rather more than half the bulk, of the spinneret, Avhich is not nearly 

 so slender nor so long as in the Hepialidae for instance. Prothorax : 

 The whole dorsal and lateral area consists of a smooth hard shield, no 

 definite scutellum is distinguishable, on the dorso-lateral area are 

 two single-haired tubercles, representative of the trapezoidals, but 

 reversed in position, i.e., the anterior are remote from, the posterior 

 close, to the median line ; on the anterior lateral edge of segment is a 

 marginal series of four hairs, with two others inner to these at the 

 lower end of series, thus there are three hairs below the spiracular 

 position, and anterior to it. The spiracle is a raised mahogany coloured 



