AGRIADES CORIDON. 65 



iudcdd, as if it had died, and, on removing it, it lay on the ground 

 quite 24 hours longer without stirring. The next morning it was 

 found on a piece of fresh food quite near where it was lying the 

 preceding day, and had evidently already eaten one or two leaflets, but 

 there seemed to be no trace of any cast skin, nor any change of colour, 

 or one might have supposed that it had moulted ; we do not believe it 

 had done so. Next morning, June 16th, it was more active and 

 crawled up the stem from its position of the previous night, and 

 between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. attacked the petals of a head of flowers, 

 but soon changed these for the ovaries, which it slowly demolished. 

 It was interesting to see another rather small larva at the end of a 

 leaf, clear off the terminal leaflets whilst resting along the main stalk, 

 and then curl its body round as it were, to attack the lower leaflets ; 

 thus curled it presented a very close resemblance to a faded flower. 

 The head of the larva is quite ventral when feeding ; when eating a 

 leaflet it commences at the apex, nibbles it slowly down to the stem, 

 and continues until the leaf is entirely eaten ; it does not mind leaves 

 somewhat withered, but appears to prefer a head of flowers, eats away 

 the calyx and the ovary of each flower entirely, leaving the yellow 

 petals to drop, and continues to do so till the ovary of every flower on 

 the stalk has disappeared. The flowers are noted on June 17th as 

 taking on a dull brownish-orange tint, and it is remarkable to observe 

 that, without moulting, some of the larvae assume this tint in the 

 yellow markings instead of the bright chrome of the earlier period of 

 this instar. They are, indeed, marvellously well protected, yet, when 

 one of the larvae has finished a meal in the daytime, it usually goes down 

 and hides or rests near or among the roots ; a habit strongly developed 

 according to Kroclel in nature. As bearing also on this point Kayward 

 tells us (in litt.) that, in its later stages, the larva may often be found 

 during the daytime resting on the stem of a leaf about an inch or so above 

 the surface of the ground, and, when discovered in this position, has 

 generally been accompanied by ants. When walking, the movement 

 of the body appears almost imperceptible, and one has to watch closely 

 before one gets an idea of really definite motion. At such times, the 

 little black head, covered by the protruding prothorax, is kept ventrally 

 on a level with the surface on which the caterpillar is crawling, and 

 the prolegs are protruded so little that the venter appears to be 

 practically touching the surface of the ground, yet, if looked at side- 

 ways with the eye quite low, it is seen to be well above it. At 

 such time the prothorax looks almost as flat as the anal end (8th- 10th 

 abdominal segments), and it would be difficult to tell which is the 

 anterior and which the posterior end of the caterpillar, were it not for 

 the direction of movement, and ,for the fact that the mesothoracic 

 hairs project somewhat anteriorly, whilst the segmental sections of the 

 double dorsal flange, and of the lateral flanges, both well-supplied with 

 hairs, point backwards. When walking, the legs are moved so 

 that the anal segment automatically rises and falls, the anal 

 prolegs only just touching the surface before being raised again, 

 the movement being quite rythmical ; on a level surface the prolegs 

 appear to take no greater part in walking than the true legs, which 

 appear to be as powerful muscularly as the prolegs, and to take a quite 

 equal share with the latter ; this rhythmic movement of the anal end 

 reminds one much of a gentle see-saw. The head is put out in a very 



