JJo. 1. ] -^ Darjiling Sal Pest. 65 



The males of this and another species of the same family in my 

 collection, kindly named foi- me by Mr. Moore as Gorisana hipars (?) 

 (Walker), are easily attracted to virgin females. I have taken seven 

 males of the latter species in about two hours, by hanging a virgin 

 female on the branch of a tree, and preventing connection, and when at 

 last connection was formed, I saw one or two males flying round a few 

 yards away, but they did not settle, and only left again in a few minutes. 

 Copulation is formed by the male settling on the head of the female 

 and forcing its abdomen, which it is capable of producing to more than 

 half again its original length, in between the pupa shell and the body 

 of the female, in the meantime the latter performs a series of contortions 

 which facilitate the insertion of the male^s abdomen. 



The female lays its eggs within the pupa shell among the remaining 

 loose scales, which have not been emitted and which serve as a kind of 

 protection for the eggs. After laying ail, or nearly all, its eggs, its abdo- 

 men so decreases in size that it drops out of the chrysalis shell and dies. 

 The eggs are yellow, simple, smooth ovals, slightly squared at the ends 

 and unmarked. The outer covering is not hard and shell-like, but is 

 simply a skin, and the least touch will put the eg^ quite out of shape 

 and useless. The egg stage appears to be the most critical part of the 

 insect's life, as during the larva and pupa stages it is practically safe 

 from the attacks of birds, and from other insects, except ants ; but I 

 have often found the empty female's cocoons inhabited by earwigs, and 

 small beetle larvse, which lead me to think that the eggs have been eaten 

 by these intruders. 



The larvae emerge about the first of April from eggs laid at the begin- 

 ning of March in the same year. This is the first brood of the year, 

 but the others do not follow in any regularity, and it has been impossible 

 for me to ascertain how many broods there are, as the larvee and pupae 

 are found in all stages throughout the rains. Larvae when first emerged are 

 about one-sixteenth of an inch in length. Colour reddish brown. Heads 

 large, mandibles strong. Body cylindrical, tapering towards the tail end. 

 Pectoral legs large, long, and very powerful ; abdominal legs, seen per- 

 fectly through magnifying glass, semideveloped, ten in number, includ- 

 ing anal legs. Pectoral segments dorsally covered with a light brown 

 shell-like covering. They do not seem to utilise the old cocoon in the 

 construction of their own cases, and walk about for days with the abdo- 

 minal segments always held perpendicular to the rest of the body. Some 

 form cases about the third or fourth day from bits of moss and bark of sal 

 trees on the leaves of which they feed, but they constantly desert their 

 cases at first. The larva feeds on the young leaves of the trees at this 

 stage, but afterwards seems almost to prefer the old and tough ones. 

 The larva never leaves its case after it has once begun to enlarge it, which 

 it does by adding small bits of moss, leaves, flowers, stalks, and in one 



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