THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 321 



' engaged that they would allow rae to draw the branch 

 sufficiently near to minutely watch their operations; but in 

 no instance could I see that they carried on their work 

 systematically, or removed the bark in circles : they only 

 appeared to cut it with their mandibles to suck out the sap. 

 — Henry Reeks. 



Description of the Larva of Agdistes Bennetii. — In June 

 and July Agdistes Bennetii is very plentiful around our 

 island, flying over the Statice Limonium, which grows 

 abundantly in our salt-marshes. I have often carefully 

 watched the female, but have never been able to detect her 

 in the act of depositing eggs, so that when or how this 

 is done I cannot say. Last autumn I detected small green 

 larvae feeding on the leaves of the Limonium, which I 

 thought must belong to the above species, but they were so 

 unlike any other Lepidopterous larva that I am acquainted 

 with that I determined to let them alone until the spring, 

 when they would be larger. On the first of May last I 

 walked to their head- quarters, and, after a careful search, 

 succeeded in turning out about two dozen larvae. They were 

 at rest upon their food-plant, but fell off on the slightest 

 disturbance, and so much resembled the Limonium in colour 

 that it was only by searching for the plants, which showed 

 signs of being eaten, I was able to find them. The larva, 

 when full fed, is about 8 lines long ; the head very small : 

 and when the creature is at rest or disturbed it is drawn 

 under the second segment, which is provided with two horn- 

 like projections, and covers the head like a cowl. The third 

 segment is the largest, and from this the body tapers 

 gradually to the anal extremity ; the last segment but one 

 being provided with a horn, as in the larva of the Sphingidae. 

 Colour of the head brownish green, six small black spots, 

 [ocelli] on each cheek, head sparingly covered with pale 

 obtuse setae, tips of the horns pink ; the body bright green, 

 shagreened with light and dark spots ; anal segment green, 

 with a ray of six long bristles, which point backwards. 

 When about to change to a pupa the larva crawls to the top 

 of the leaf, and spins across it numerous silken threads, to 

 which it attaches itself by the anal claspers ; and in this 

 position remains about two days. The colour gradually 

 becomes brown, the skin assuming a shrivelled appearance. 



