354 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



black spots, and thorny tubercles of a rosy tint. The perfect 

 insect emerges about thirty days after the formation of the 

 cocoon. 



The Kev. P. Camboue has observed on the eastern coast, at 

 Tamatave, another species of Saturnia, allied, to a certain 

 extent, to S. suruka. The larva, a false Geometer, is beautifully 

 black, ornamented on its segments with thorny projections, 

 yellow on the last eight segments and pink on the first. The 

 body is covered with spots of the same colour as the tubercles. 

 The spiracles are black bordered with yellow ; the claspers of a 

 fine, shining black. It reaches nine centimeters in length, and 

 is twelve millimeters in its widest diameter. It is polyphagous, 

 and lives well on oleander. The cocoon is smaller and of a 

 darker colour than that of S. suruka. 



There are in South Africa several species of large Bombycidse, 

 six of which bear the following names : — Anther ma menippe, 

 A. tyrrhea, A. cytheroea {dione), Gynanisa isis, Bimaa caffraria, 

 and Cirina forda. The appearance of the moths of these species 

 would certainly lead any entomologist, unacquainted with the 

 first stages of the insects, to think that the first three, bearing 

 the generic name of Anthercea^ form closed cocoons like the 

 other known species of Anthercea, and also that Gynanisa or 

 Saturnia isis forms an open cocoon like Saturnia pyri or some 

 other Saturnia or Attacus, but it is nothing of the sort. The 

 larvae of these species, and also that of Buncea caffraria, burrow 

 into the ground without forming any cocoon or shell of any sort. 

 Another peculiarity is that the bare pupae of these species 

 resemble each other so much that it is difficult to distinguish 

 them from one another. These five species have been bred 

 during several years by two of my correspondents, and I have 

 received pupae of them from 1886 up to the present year. These 

 pupae are several months before producing the perfect insect, and 

 they can easily pass the tropics without hatching during the 

 voyage. I have now learnt by experience that, as a rule, pupae 

 of Bomhycidce from temperate climates can make long voyages 

 without hatching, even under the influence of intense tropical 

 heats ; whilst tropical species often hatch two or three weeks 

 after they have left their native countries, even if the heat 

 becomes much less intense. In general, most species seem to 

 have a tendency to hatch at the time fixed by nature in their 

 native country, unless the temperature should be too cold. 



In the spring of the year 1886 I received mixed chrysalids of 

 G. isis, A. tyrrhea, and B. caffraria, and the moths emerged as 

 follows: — On July 1st, one male isis; August 23rd, one male 

 and one female isis ; September 3rd, one male tyrrhea ; 12th, one 

 male and two females ; and on the 15th, one male. A pairing 

 took place during the night of Sept. 14th and 15th. Up to 

 Sept. 27th thirty moths had emerged. Next a caffraria moth 



