21 6 British lepidopteRa. 



twigs respectively, obtained results showing that the larvae did 

 respond largely to their environment {zide, Proc. Ent. Soc. Lond., 

 1894, p. xvi). Buckler figures {Larvae, etc., pi. li., figs. \-\a) the two 

 forms that are usually found in nature. These may be noted as : 

 (1) Dorsal area purple-brown with a slaty-blue V-mark (pointing 

 towards head) on each of the abdominal segments, the lateral areas 

 of the abdominal segments slaty-grey. (2) Dorsal area of varying 

 shades of grey with ill-defined darker grey longitudinal markings 

 on each segment. The thoracic segments dark grey, with two white 

 wedge-shaped markings on the front of meso- and metathorax, the 

 second and fifth abdominal segments dark grey, the first, third, 

 fourth, sixth and seventh, paler and somewhat ochreous, a slight 

 protuberance on the 8th abdominal segment. Reaumur notes the 

 great difference in size as sexual, the very small larvae producing 

 males, the large ones females. 



Comparison of larvae of Odonestis pruni and Eutricha 

 quercifolia. — When the larvae of these species are from '75m. to iin. in 

 length, they are remarkably alike. The chief differences appear to be : 



( 1) The larvae of O.pruniXxe flatter on the resting-surface, the larvae them- 

 selves being thinner and rather more slender than those of E. quercifolia. 



(2) In the larva of 0. pruni the caudal horn on the 8th abdominal segment 

 is very small, merely a slight hump. (3) The lateral processes are less 

 noticeable in O. pruni, the prothoracic segment bearing the most notice- 

 able brush or fan of hairs, this brush does not arise from the lateral 

 processes but from the so-called " ear-tubercle " ; in E. quercifolia 

 the hairs from the " ear-tubercle " are pointed forwards and down- 

 wards and lie almost flat on the skin, in O. pruni they are pointed 

 upwards and outwards and stand out conspicuously. (4) In O. pruni 

 the dorsal white oblique / \ marks of E. quercifolia become round, 

 whitish spots. (5) There is a white area observable just behind 

 the head in O. pruni that is not observable in E. quercifolia. (6) 

 The orange, black and white markings on the meso- and metathorax 

 of E. quercifolia are not nearly so well-developed in O. pruni. [Later, 

 the mesothorax of O. pruni bears only traces of the black, orange 

 and white markings, while the metathorax has hardly a trace of 

 them; the white area (noted in 5) extends to the head itself, E. 

 quercifolia being without a trace of any such marking.] (7) The 

 anal claspers of O. pruni are more widely spread and lie flatter than 

 do those of E. quercifolia. 



Pupation. — The larva usually selects a spot among its foodplant 

 in which to spin its cocoon, frequently rather low down, and 

 generally, in our experience, extremely well hidden, yet Fowler 

 notes that, at Ringwood, and in the New Forest generally, the black 

 cocoons are found on hedgebanks, where they are very conspicuous 

 indeed. Holland says that, in Berks> the cocoons are generally 

 found in the middle of the bush or hedge where the larvae 

 have fed ; Forsyth once found a cocoon spun up under a low 

 wall at Waterlooville, near Portsmouth ; and Godwin one spun up 

 on a willow tree on the present site of Addison Road Station; 

 Ransom found a cocoon at Henny on a dead stalk of Verbascum 

 thapsus, about 2 or 3 inches from the ground, on a low 

 hedgebank facing south-east ; also 2 cocoons spun among the 

 inner branches of a hedge about a foot above the ground. 



