306 LIEUT.-COL. J. M. FAWCETT ON THE 
cocoon round itself, with its hairs, on the side of the box. Food-plant oak; but I 
have also reared the larva on Jasmine (Jasminium pubigerum). 
On quitting South Africa on a short leave of absence home in May 1899, I left two 
specimens of this larva, in the pupal stage, together with all my larve which had not 
completed their transformations, in the care of a friend who was remaining on in 
Pietermaritzburg, as I was afraid that, during the voyage, the heat of the tropics 
would cause them to emerge prematurely ; but to prevent, as I thought, the possibility 
of any mistake in identifying the imagines, I placed each larva or pupa in a different 
box, with a small ticket, with a reference to the plate and figure of the larva in my 
sketch-book, which I requested my friend to attach to the pin of the imago when it 
emerged. 
I subsequently returned to South Africa when war broke out, and on the relief of 
Ladysmith was invalided home ; on passing through Pietermaritzburg in March 1900, 
my box containing the emerged imagines (which had all been placed in a large cork 
box which I had left with my friend) was returned to me, when I found my ticket 
referring to the drawing of this larva pinned to an imago of Ludia smilax (Westw.). 
On reaching England I forwarded a figure of the imago to Mr. R. ‘Trimen, and asked 
him for the name of the moth, as I was unacquainted with it. Iwas therefore much 
surprised to receive the following reply from him :—“I know the moth you figure in 
your note of yesterday very well, it is Ludia smilax (Westw.); but I am much 
surprised to hear that this species resulted from the ‘ old china’ caterpillar figured by 
you, because I have by me figures of no fewer than thee quite different larve 
attributed to ‘ smélax’—I mean different from each other, as well as entirely different 
from yours. If you are quite certain about the moth resulting from the old china 
larva, then this stage of Z. smilax presents amazing variability. W.D. Gooch and 
Dr. J. EK. Seaman made drawings of this caterpillar ; they are rather rough, but those 
of the apparently more prevalent variety agree in representing a pale greenish larva 
with broad black rings; Gooch thought that this was the male, but he does not seem 
to have proved this, though he bred a male from one of this pattern. Gooch’s second 
form of larva is quite like the other in shape, tubercles, hairs, &c., but the black rings 
are almost everywhere broken up into mere scattered spots, and the ground-colour, 
generally, is dull yellow; he thinks this is the female. 
“Much more amazing is Dr. Seaman’s second form of smilax larva; it is black, 
marbled with white, and with vivid scarlet rings! There is no doubt that some larve 
seem to vary almost indefinitely, but if this is a true case all through, I think it is 
unsurpassed.” 
it is therefore with some doubt that I append the description of this larva as the 
larva of Ludia smilax (Westw.), inasmuch as I cannot vouch myself, from personal 
observation, for its accuracy, though I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of my 
friend, who is certain that no mistake has been made. 
