474 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



parts, while two spun between pieces of white paper were not nearly so 

 dark. The blackness is, however, due to something which is not silk, 

 the latter being of a much lighter brown ; it probably comes from the 

 digestive tract (for neither the paper nor the leaves or twigs around the 

 cocoons appeared to be gnawed), and it has the appearance of bitten - 

 up food or feces. . . . Under any circumstances, there seems to 

 be no question of colour adjustment, for the larvae in the paper made 

 the most use of all the material they had, and spread it out so as to 

 cover the exposed part of their cocoons as completely as possible." 

 Our observations lead us to believe that normally the larva stains the 

 silk very little but that the excellent protective coloration is due to the 

 mixing of particles, of whatever substance the larva is spinning up 

 amongst, in the outer part of the cocoon. Those spun in earth have 

 particles of earth, those on bark, fragments of moss and wood, those 

 in leaves, fragments of the leaf, &c. Whittle says : Cocoon, close, 

 mud-coloured, somewhat unsymmetrical, with inside lining of fine 

 silk. 



Pupa. — The pupa is about five-eighths of an inch in length and 

 one -quarter of an inch in width. It is of a shiny black colour, with 

 the movable incisions wide, dull, and dark red-brown in colour. The 

 antennae reach exactly to the apices of the wings ; the abdominal seg- 

 ments ventrally red-brown ; the cremaster formed of a dense tuft of 

 hooked red-brown bristles. Dorsally : Of a dark blackish-brown colour, 

 the abdominal segments rather more red-brown ; shiny, except the 

 abdominal incisions, which are duller and redder. The dorsal head- 

 piece, not very prominent nor extending far beyond the prothorax ; the 

 prothorax well-developed, the mesothorax large, and swollen medially ; 

 the prothoracic spiracle forms a narrow linear slit at the junction of 

 the pro- and mesothorax with the antenna ; the metathorax is narrow 

 centrally, wider at the bases of the hind wings ; the skin of the thoracic 

 segments is wrinkled transversely, the thoracic and abdominal seg- 

 ments have a slender raised mediodorsal line extending their full 

 length, except at the movable incisions between the abdominal segments 

 4-5, 5-6, 6-7. The abdominal segments form shiny circular bands, 

 slightly depressed centrally, and raised at the anterior and posterior 

 edges ; this development is less marked on the abdominal segments 4, 5, 

 6 and 7, the front part of which presents much the same structure, 

 but the intersegmental membrane is smooth and silky in appear- 

 ance ; there is a median transverse depression on each abdominal seg- 

 ment ; the 7th to terminal segments are shiny black. The cremaster 

 is composed of a large number of red-brown hooks, very strong-looking, 

 bent ventrally. Ventrally : The mouth and appendages shiny black, 

 the lines separating the maxillae from each other and from the first 

 pair of legs bright red in colour, tending to crimson ; abdominal seg- 

 ments reddish-brown. Directly above the mouth is a prominent median 

 ridge, which is continued dorsally to form the mediodorsal ridge before 

 described. The antennae reach exactly to the apices of the wings ; the 

 maxillae are short, ending between the first pair of legs, which extend 

 about two-thirds, whilst the second pair extend well, towards the 

 end of the antennae, between which they are enclosed ; the surface 

 of the second pair of legs is concave, and these pass beneath the 

 antennae, so that the bases are not to be seen ; the skin of the maxillae, 

 legs, and antennae, is striated transversely. The glazed eye is very well 



