254 E, P. Stebbing— • Life-history of Arbela tetraonis. [No. 4, 



slightly apart near the centre whilst the last two have but one encircling 

 band situated near the centre. The last segment is blunt at its posterior 

 extremity where it is furnished with a circle of irregularly sized black 

 spines. The two segments visible dorsally immediately anterior to the 

 first of those bearing the double encircling girdle of teeth have each a 

 single row of closely set curved teeth placed near their anterior margins 

 which end on either side at the wing covers Long. 21 to 28 millim. 



As we shall see later the presence of these spines is absolutely 

 essential to the pupa since by their means it is able to make its way 

 from the heart of the tree where the larva pupates to the outside in order 

 to provide for the escape of the moth. 



The appearance of the moth on the wing is evidently very vari- 

 able. In the Godaveri district3a report states that the insect issued as 

 early as March. A specimen taken in 1901 and preserved for transmission 

 to me got damaged and so was not sent, but I have little doubt from 

 the descriptions given that the insect was the Arbela. In Ganjam on the 

 other hand a specimen was bred from a pupa by Mr. C. E. C. Fischer, of 

 the Imperial Forest Service, as late as the 3rd July of the present year- 

 The specimen so bred is the only one that has been yet recorded from 

 the Casuarina Plantations of Madras, and should the one in the Indian 

 Museum taken by Mr. De Niceville in 1891 prove a different species, it 

 forms the only record of the species that I am aware of in India. When 

 I state that I have seen probably several dozen empty pupal cases upon 

 the trunks of the trees in one small plantation alone, it will be obvious 

 that although in its particular locality so plentiful it is not often 

 taken. 



From Cuddalore nearly mature pupos were sent to me on June 1st. 

 It would thus appear that the moth is to be found on the wing between 

 March and beginning of July. I could find none in a plantation at 

 Chatrapur (Ganjam) between the 9th and 13th July, 1903, although I 

 noted numbers of the empty pupal cases on the Casuarina trees. 



Since the moths of this family are unprovided with a proboscis and 

 consequently take no food at this stage of their lives they probably lay eggs 

 soon after emerging. The eggs are deposited upon the bark of the trees. 

 We do not yet know what period elapses before they hatch out. Ganjam 

 being situated in the N.-E. corner of the Presidency gets the S.-W. Mon- 

 soon which bursts about the middle of July and consequently the eggs would 

 probably not hatch out until September or October, after the worst of 

 the rains are over. Further south, however, where this monsoon is not 

 felt and the rain is not received until October and November they may 

 hatch out earlier. The at present recorded months in which larvae 

 have been obtained are January and March in Chatrapur (with pupa 



