30 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVIL 



finished one fruit, lioUowed it out completely that is, it wanders out 

 and looks for another, — it is generall}^ at these times, in all proba- 

 bility, that many get eaten by birds, &c. When the fruit chosen 

 is large enough to accommodate more than a single larva, there may 

 be several in it. In these cases where one large fruit — such as a 

 Pomegranate for example — contains only a few larvas of small size, 

 it takes them a long time to finish the contents. In the course of 

 time, also, the gradual demolition of the vital parts of the inside, 

 would and does lead to the eventual atrophy and the consequent 

 weakening of the stalk attachment. In the ordinary course of 

 events, the fruit would fall before the contents were nearly finished. 

 To prevent this, the larvae have evolved a very efficacious method : 

 they tie the fruit on to the branch at the stalk. They come out at 

 intervals from their retreat and weave silken ropes all over the stalk 

 and the surface of the fruit as well as on the neighbouring surface 

 of the branch, repeating this again and again until the fixings be- 

 come so strong that it reqiiires quite an effort to tear the fruit away. 

 Every larva attaches its particular fruit to the branch or twig in this 

 manner and thus prevents it being shaken off" by the wind or falling 

 to the ground while still inhabited. If it did, it would quickly rot 

 and the inside wotild become unserviceable as food ; or ants and 

 other enemies would invade the premises and make short work of 

 the inhabitants. Of coTirse, when the caterpillars come out to fix 

 the fruit, they are always liable to be snapped iip by a bird or lizard 

 or something, so that it is a dangerous game for them ; but it is not 

 half as dangerous as if they were to fall to the ground in their houses 

 or house to become a prey to many more pertinacious and probably 

 more numerous enemies. This is not the only adaptation that 

 these larvse have developed in the coiirse of by-gone ages either. 

 The " shovel" at the end of the hodij is another. The inside of a 

 fruit becomes very insanitary after a time, wet and damp and 

 mould}'- and extremely strong-smelling (anybody can testify to 

 this who has bred the larvae from " Ghela ", Bandia diimetorimi). 

 As the sap accumulates from the wound, d^^.e to the biting of the 

 larvee, and gets mixed with the droppings, it becomes necessary 

 to clean up and hence the shovel. It is used to push out the refuse 

 from the interior and just fits the orifice which is always made of 

 the requisite size for that purpose. The inside of a fully eaten 

 fruit is as clean as a new pin, especiallj^ when the larva is full grown 

 and about to change. It pupates inside the last fruit as a rule 

 and a ver}^ general rule. The operation is rarely effected anywhere 

 else. Before finally settling down to change, the larva spins a web 

 across the orifice, and always a web with two holes at the sides 

 and hinged on one side as well ; it is quite opaque. The j)upa is 

 formed inside, attached by the tail and a body-band to the surface. 

 The butterfl)^, upon emerging, runs to the hole, forces its way 



