48 NOLA CENTONALIS. 



leisurely constructing the case formed of gnawings of 

 the bark of the stem in two wing-like halves, and 

 then drawing them together, the stem itself being the 

 base of the inverted boat-shaped structure. 



As to my small hibernating larvse I found one on 

 March 7th, 1880, but it went asleep next day without 

 feeding, but a few days later while in a bottle it began 

 to feed on young leaves of Trifolium procumbens for a 

 couple of days, and then ceased during an interval of 

 cold east winds, and remained fixed on the under side 

 of a leaf, where on April 1st it had moulted, the old 

 skin remaining close beside it. This to my astonish- 

 ment made the sixth moult, a circumstance unique 

 in my experience ! 



From a communication since received from Mr. 

 Tugwell I believe it might be possible that the larvae 

 sent to me were not in their second skins as he had 

 thought at the time, but really before their second 

 moult. 



The larva then fed very sparingly, but on April 

 17th, though it had grown very slowly in the interval, 

 its colouring was different, and it agreed more closely 

 with the forced full-grown larva in having the yellow 

 ochreous dorsal line visible ; the general colouring of 

 the body was a darker red than before, the tubercles 

 were still dark blackish-brown, but the dark brown 

 hairs were more conspicuous. 



On the 22nd it fixed itself for another moult (the 

 seventh, H. T. S.), which was accomplished on April 

 27th at miduight. 



After a few days it began to feed again, and so con- 

 tinued at intervals according to the temperature until 

 May 13th; the black Vs at the beginning of each 

 segment through which the yellow dorsal line ran 

 had now become deep pink, and a ring of pale flesh 

 colour surrounded the base of every tubercle, all of 

 which remained blackish-brown. It now ceased to 

 feed, and thinking it might spin up I supplied it with 

 a stem, which, proving to be hollow, the larva crept 



