394 BRITISH LEPIDOMERA. 



covered with pittings, spicules disappeared, but some small black cbitinous 

 warts scattered over surface, each carrying from 3-5 short spikes on 

 their circumference. Head retractile, larva rolls up like an Anthrocerid 

 (Bacot). Hellins notes the newly -hatched larva as being barely 1 mm. 

 in length, of a fat, stumpy, even figure. The trapezoidal dots are 

 placed on slanting raised tubercles, each dot bearing one long stiff 

 hair. The larva is yellow in colour, the small head looks as if yellow 

 beneath, with a glossy black tinge over it. A week later there is an 

 orange dorsal line, and in two weeks (after the first moult), the larva 

 instead of being yellow dorsally, is of a semi-translucent pale brownish 

 tint, with darker interrupted dorsal line, and outside the dorsal 

 tubercles a warm brown stripe, whilst the hairs are a little longer. In 

 another fortnight a second moult is passed, and, at the end of seven 

 weeks, the larva? are 5 mm. long, the skin set with little points, the 

 back pale yellow, the dorsal tubercles darker, the dorsal line dusky, 

 the lateral areas pale brown, with the large lateral tubercles pink. 

 When three and a half months old, the larvas are 7-8 mm. long, plump, 

 slightly fusiform, with the head small and retractile, the places of the 

 usual tubercular dots occupied by large tubercles set with short 

 bristles, the trapezoidals being united in a pair of transversely 

 elongated tubercles. The skin round the tubercles is set all over with 

 tiny branched points. The head is shining and blackish, the short 

 bristles are dirty-whitish, tipped with brown ; the little points on the 

 skin are shining black, the spiracles yellowish-brown, placed just 

 beneath the large lateral tubercles. The full-grown larva is described 

 by Barrett as being about three quarters of an inch in length. 

 The head is shining black, small and retractile ; the prothorax much 

 broader, with a dorsal corneous plate ; the body pale green, pale 

 yellow, pinkish, or dirty white ; the dorsal line pink, brownish or 

 composed of short brown dashes ; there is also a broad pink or greenish 

 lateral stripe, usually contrasting in colour with the upper part of the 

 body ; the raised spots very broad, forming flat plates, six on each 

 segment, each with a thin radiating fascicle of short, stiff bristle- 

 like hairs, tipped with brown, among which are a few longer, more 

 silky, whitish hairs, the raised spots themselves being pink, pinkish- 

 brown, or pale brown. Chapman says that the adult larva is paler 

 dorsally, darker laterally ; a large dorsal boss on each side carrying a 

 chevaux defrise of bristles, another on each side below these (supra- 

 spiracular), the bristles on these pale, with a clear area around each. 

 Below the supraspiracular tubercles are the spiracles, then a smaller 

 tubercle (or boss). The paler dorsal area is largely owing to the 

 larger clear space around the boss being free frem the minute black 

 points that stud the general surface. Each of these black points is 

 stellate. On the meso- and metathoracic segments, the supra- 

 spiracular is represented by two tubercles, the upper being a little the 

 more forward. The segments are rounded, the segmental incisions 



Variation of larva. — Hellins mentions three types of colouring 

 as existing among five autumn larvae. (1) With the back dirty 

 white ; the dorsal tubercles slightly brownish ; a dull pink dorsal 

 line ; the dorsal tubercles bordered on the outside with a scalloped 

 brown line, the large upper row of lateral tubercles rose-pink, the 

 two lower rows of small ones more brownish-pink. (2) With the 



