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 larvae 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. E. Trimen, and asked 

 him for the name of the moth, as I was unacquainted with it. I was 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 

 ynu, because I have by me figures of no fewer than three quite different larvae 

 attributed to ' smilax ' — 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 L. smilax presents amazing variability. W. D. Gooch and 

 Dr. J. E. 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 larvse 

 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. 



