EDWARDSIA W- ALBUM. 169 



back, P fianzenfeinde, etc., p. 536). "Sloe" as a foodplant requires 

 confirmation.] 



Parasites. — Perilitus sctttellator, Nees (V. R. Perkins teste Buckler). 



Pupation.— The larva usually makes a loose cocoon, i.e., it draws a 

 leaf or two together, or gets into one somewhat curled, and tries to draw 

 it together; but the threads used are few. It generally does this so that 

 it is on the underside of the leaf. It then spins a firm silken plat- 

 form, and a somewhat slender silken girth, and thus attaches itself for 

 pupation. Newman says that, when fullfed, the larvae, in confinement, 

 spin rather elaborate scaffolding of silken threads on the surface of the 

 twig or branch, on the leaves of which they may happen to be feeding, 

 and by means of other silken threads they attach themselves to this 

 scaffolding — some two, three, or four at the anal extremity, and one, 

 two, or three passing round or over the body. The number of these 

 belts varies in different individuals. The character of the silken scaffold- 

 ing to which they are attached is best seen, he says, by allowing the 

 larva to spin on the surface of glass, e.g., of any glass vessel in which 

 it may "be confined. Reaumur gives (Mem., i., pp. 450-454) an excellent 

 account of the spinning done by this larva before pupation (see 

 "Addendum" postea). Bacot notes that, in a specimen under examina- 

 tion, the body girth falls in the incision between the 1st and 2nd 

 abdominal segments, although the lowest point of the pupal waist is 

 between the metathorax and 1st abdominal segment. This particular 

 larva, also, had formed the ventral portion of a loose cocoon out of a 

 small leaf, with its attaching stalk, and a fragment of another attached 

 with silk. A considerable number of silk threads are also used, the 

 whole composing a shallow boat-shaped structure, which covers in the 

 entire ventral area. The girth is composed of at least six or seven 

 separate strands, and two of these on one side do not join the girdle 

 until well up on the dorsal area ; this may be accident, but it would 

 seem a fortunate one, as the effect of these two anterior and posterior tie 

 ropes must be to afford greater security, and also to keep the belt in posi- 

 tion . Ray ward says that the larva almost invariably spins up for pupation 

 on the underside of a leaf of wych-elm, and adds that, when the colours 

 of the pupa are matured, they closely resemble a dark brown, crumpled, 

 shrivelled portion of a leaf, whilst it is also to be noted that, in the fully- 

 developed pupa, the girth is normally about the centre of the pupa, 

 whilst its position on the larva during the quiescent stage preceding- 

 pupation is much further forward. Dixon urges (Ent. Bee, x., p. 131) 

 that the pupa is best found by searching. He says that one should 

 stand under the outer edge of the lower branches of the wych-elm tree 

 to be searched, and, if the pupae are there, one sees what appears to be 

 a beetle resting on the underside of a leaf ; the branch should then be 

 pulled down with a hooked stick, and a pupa will usually result. When 

 the sun is shining, you may even see the shadow of a pupa through 

 the leaf, when the larva has pupated on the upper, instead of the lower, 

 side of the leaf, which, however, it rarely does. He adds that a little 

 practice makes one quite an adept at finding them, and one can usually 

 get about a score in an hour by searching. Many pupae are, of course, 

 out of reach, but plenty may be discovered at a height from 7ft. -14ft., 

 and, of those out of reach, a knife blade, fastened with string to an ash 

 sapling, at an angle of 30°, will enable one to sever the leaf- stalk, 

 when the leaf with its pupa will come sailing quietly down to the 



