384 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



being crowded into the least possible space, and together 

 with the head combining to form a mass the component parts 

 of which are undislinguishable : the body is cylindrical, 

 excepting that the back of the 2nd segment has two pointed 

 projections placed transversely, and having the same direction 

 as those of the head ; moreover, each side of the body is 

 dilated into a slight skinfold, and the dorsal surface is slightly 

 wrinkled ; the anal flap is pointed at the extremity, and has 

 its margins slightly recurved ; every part of the skin is deli- 

 cately shagreened, or covered with minute sessile granulations ; 

 the colour of the head, as well as the legs, is pale purplish 

 brown ; that of the body apple-green, with a medio-dorsal 

 series of purple-brown markings, almost a medio-dorsal stripe, 

 excepting that it is interrupted at the middle of each 

 segment; the lateral margins of these markings is decidedly 

 paler, and has a bleached appearance ; the lateral skinfold is 

 yellowish, the granulations being still paler, and imparting to 

 the sides a frosted appearance. I am indebted to Mr. Hodg- 

 kinson for a specimen of this larva, which he found feeding 

 on Salix viminalis (the narrow-leaved or basket-willow or 

 osier). Two doubts have been suggested with regard to this 

 insect: Jirst, whether the specimens, as now arranged in our 

 cabinets, constitute a single species or two species ; and 

 secondly, whether either of these is the Phalsena viridata of 

 Linneus. With regard to the first of these doubts it may be 

 observed, that Zeller has proposed, and Herrich-Schgeffer has 

 figured, two supposed species, under the names of Viridaria 

 (fig. 567) and JPorrinaria (fig. 566) : Viridaria is represented 

 as having a tendency to slightly pointed and slightly falcate 

 fore wings, and as having their costa ochreous or pale brown ; 

 while Porrinaria has no tendency to the pointed and falcate 

 form, and has the costa perfectly concolorous with the disk 

 of the wings, but the abdomen is tipped with ochreous. 

 Guence is unwilling to express any opinion on this question, 

 not having seen specimens named by the authors themselves. 

 My own specimens, ten in number, which are decidedly 

 faded, as these green geometers will fade, have the costa 

 sUghtly reflexed or turned over towards the upper surface of 

 the disk of the wing (which is, indeed, a very common result 

 of drying), thus catching the light, and they certainly exhibit 

 an ochreous margin; in the outline of the wing there is a 



