Insects. 8777 



ring of black dots on every segment ; after the first ecdysis the ground colour becomes 

 dusky, the yellowish or rather reddish extremities still remaining ; the black dots are 

 now very evident warts, and are twelve in a transverse series on every segment — two 

 small and approximate on the back ; two others, also small aud approximate, on the 

 belly; the rest are conspicuous and intensely black, and each emits a fascicle of radia- 

 ting black hairs : after the last ecdysis the larva falls from its food on the slightest 

 touch, and feigns death, lying for a few seconds curled in a ring; it then rouses itself 

 and travels with extraordinary velocity; the head is now red-brown and very glabrous ; 

 the body smoky green, the bristles red-brown, a few only black ; the two dorsal series 

 of warts are nearly concolorous with the body, the next series on each side intensely 

 black, and the next or third series is concolorous with the body ; while the fourth on 

 each side, this being below the spiracles, has the upper half pale and the lower half 

 black ; those of the fifth series are longitudinally lengthened, and entirely black ; the 

 legs are red-brown ; the ventral claspers red-brown, with a dark mark on the outside 

 of each ; the anal claspers of the same colour, without the dark mark : at the end of 

 July it spins a lax web on the surface of the ground, and changes to a smooth pupa, 

 and in this state it remains until the following May, when the perfect insect makes 

 its appearance. I am indebted to Mr. Thomas Huckett for this larva. — E. Newman. 

 Description of the Larva of Arctia lubricipeda. — The eggs, which are hemispherical, 

 and at first of a silvery glaucous hue, are generally laid on the upper surface of the leaves 

 of almost every garden or hedgerow plant, in the month of June: I cannot find that 

 the female exercises any choice in providing for her offspring : the eggs are laid with 

 some regularity, and closely approximate, but not absolutely in contact : about the tenth 

 day the eggs become lead-coloured, and under a lens the long hairs of the contained 

 larva may be observed spirally arranged round the interior of the now transparent 

 shell, and there is also a dark substance in the centre of the egg : the young larvae 

 begin to emerge on or about the 1st of Jnne, and different batches of eggs continue to 

 disclose their contents throughout the month : the young larvae have a black head and 

 a white body, with eight clearly perceptible longitudinal series of warts, each of which 

 emits a very long black bristle ; they feed in company on the upper cuticle and the 

 parenchyma of the leaf, leaving the veins a complete net-work, but attached together 

 by the lower cuticle ; after the first ecdysis the young larvae separate ; their colour be- 

 comes slightly darker, and the hairs appear more numerous and relatively shorter; 

 when half-grown the colour is smoky green-gray, the dorsal darker than the ventral 

 surface, and having three whitish stripes — one narrow, median and rather indistinct,* 

 and one on each side passing above the spiracles ; the pale lateral stripes are bordered 

 above with darker smoky green, giving the appearance of dark subdorsal stripes ; the 

 warts are pale, and each emits a fascicle of radiating hairs, the greater number 

 of which are of uniform length, "rather short and bristle-like, but some few are con- 

 spicuously longer than the rest. When full-fed, which is about the 1st of August, the 

 larva rests in a straight position ; it falls from its food-plant if disturbed, and rolls 

 itself in a ring, but unrolls after maintaining this position for a few seconds, and begins 

 to travel ; the warts are now twelve on each segment ; two small, dorsal, approximate, 

 and placed slightly in advance of the rest ; and there are moreover two others, also 

 small and approximate, on the ventral surface of the 5th, 6th, 11th, 12th and 13th 

 segments ; all the warts probably exist in the infant larva, but are too minute to 

 attract attention : head pale brown ; the ocelli large and conspicuous, and comprised 



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