ADSCITA STATICES. 393 



selves, and the pit was left open to the weather. In the spring of 1866 

 he could find no trace of them, until, on May 5th — a day of sunshine after 

 a night's frost — he was passing the pit at about 11 a.m. and saw about 20 

 lame nearly full-fed, feeding close together and enjoying the sun. 

 By searching he then found a great many more. He then observed 

 that they ate the lower leaves of the sorrel, but was unable to find the 

 larvae at large, although there must have been hundreds in the field 

 when the search was made. Hellins confirmed the statement that 

 the larva?, when very small, burrowed into the substance of the leaf, 

 although he never saw them quite hidden. He stated that they soon 

 made transparent blotches by eating away the under, and occasionally 

 the upper, epidermis of the leaf, leaving the skin on the other side 

 untouched and quite filmy, and they retained the habit of making 

 blotches until late autumn, when they hybernated, although they 

 often ate at this time quite through the substance of the leaf. 

 Moulting appears to be effected by means of an opening in the lront 

 of the old skin near the head. 



LiARVA.—Neirty hatched (May lQtli, 1898, parents from Auribeau, 

 nr. Cannes). Head black, polished, small and retractile. Body 

 short, slug-shaped, segments distinct, no subsegments indicated. 

 Tubercles single-haired, hairs very long, tapering, thorny, tubercular 

 bases very tall, dorsal tubercles i and ii placed trapezoidally on 2nd and 

 3rd thoracic and abdominal segments, and somewhat closely to- 

 gether, owing to narrowness of segments; hair-bases bulbed. The 

 supraspiracular, iii, consists of two tubercles, one of which, on the 1st 

 abdominal, carries two hairs, making three supraspiracular hairs on 

 this segment. The spiracles not distinguishable, but two subspiracular 

 tubercles below their normal position, and placed a short distance apart, 

 probably represent iv and v. The ground-colour, at first, pale yellow ; 

 the tubercles situated on slightly raised whitish skin areas, which have 

 an appearance of forming whitish bands, thus i and ii are on one band, 

 iii on another, and iv and v on another. The skin-surface is covered 

 with minute spicules. After 17 days the larva, still in first skin, presents 

 a dark medio-dorsal band, a subdorsal, and a faintly-marked lateral 

 one ; the areas between these are whitish, and raised into the cushions, 

 which carry the tubercles. June, 1898 : In the second skin the position 

 of the bands is similar, being brownish and better marked, the 

 tubercles, however, are now surrounded by a group of smaller ones ; 

 the primitive tubercles in i and ii can be distinguished by their greater 

 size, but they now form members of a single group. The spicules are 

 larger and distinct. Hairs tapering, thorny, grey or white in colour. 

 The head is completely retractile. The segmental incisions deeply cut. 

 The larva with a very Anthrocerid appearance. August 11th : The larva, 

 in ? fourth skin, slightly over one-quarter inch in length ; the medio- 

 dorsal line faint, white and narrow, bordered on either side by a 

 broad pink line, the whole making a broad pink dorsal band, with a faint 

 medio-dorsal line ; on either side of this band is a broad whitish sub- 

 dorsal band, the lateral area pink. The spiracles pale yellow, rather 

 raised above body surface, and forming a short, blunt tube. The 

 tubercles large, many-haired cushions or warts, i and ii united, iii 

 fairly large, circular, iv and v united, the marginal groups also united, 

 much smaller than preceding. Hairs stout at base, tapering to point, with 

 tall, swollen or bulbed bases, mostly white some black-tipped. Skin 



