Notes on the Habits of some Lejpidopterous Larvce. 253 



also from Mazatlan — b, external surface,, c, interior; Pig. 3, 

 Operculum of Turbo Sarmaticus, L., from the Cape of 

 Good Hope — b, exterior, a, interior; Fig. 4, Longitudinal 

 section of Gonus tesselatus, Born., to show the thinning of the 

 internal whorls ; Fig. 5, Transverse section of the same shell ; 

 Fig. 6, Longitudinal section of Marginella glabella, Canary 

 Islands, showing four spiral ridges on the columella ; Fig. 7, 

 Transverse section of a Cowry (Cyprcea Turdus) ; Fig. 8, 

 Longitudinal section of telescope-shell (Ceritliium telescopium, 

 L.), from Indian rivers, showing one spiral ridge on the 

 column, and a second on the wall of the shell. 



(To be continued.) 



NOTES ON THE HABITS OF SOME LEPIDQPTEROUS 



LARVAE. 



BY THE EEV. D. C. TIMINS, M.A., M.E.S. LOND. ET OXON. 



The processionary-moth (Bombyx -processioned) is tolerably 

 abundant in European collections, but the very singular habits 

 of its larva seem to have escaped the notice of writers on 

 entomology. I have never met with a detailed description, so 

 venture to note the following facts, results of personal obser- 

 vation. 



The larvEe of B. processionea lives in society ; fifty or sixty 

 individuals uniting to spin a common " nest." These " nests" 

 are generally spherical, or nearly so, and are composed of very 

 coarse network of hairs spun together. Their colour is a dull 

 brownish grey, and they are extremely dangerous to handle, 

 the hairs of which they are composed being highly irritating, 

 producing very painful swellings, attended with inflammation. 

 Within these nests the larvas spend their days, issuing forth 

 toward evening for the purpose of devastating the neighbouring 

 trees. Most species of pine and fir are exposed to their 

 ravages ; but the picturesque " umbrella pine," so common 

 along the coast of Provence, sometimes escapes without injury, 

 B. processionea preferring any other species of pine if accessible. 

 I have sometimes met these larvas feeding during the day, 

 but for the most part they are certainly night-feeders. They 

 march forth in a long line, single file, one after another, each 

 touching the one in front. They go wherever the individual 

 who leads chooses to take them, and it would be a subject of 

 curious speculation to imagine how these larvas elect their 



