ENDROMIS VERSICOLOR. 61 



The larvae began to hatch in the early morning of 

 May 22nd, and continued to appear at intervals 

 throughout that day and up to the next morning, when 

 the two latest were hatched. 



At once the young larvae took readily to birch as 

 their food, and moulted the first time on the 28th to 

 30th of the month ; on the 3rd of June most of them 

 had again moulted, and on the 9th and 10th they 

 moulted the third time ; their last moult (the fourth) 

 began on the 17th, and concluded within a few follow- 

 ing days. 



Full growth was attained by some on the 26th of 

 June, and from this date onward the remainder matured 

 at intervals one after another until the 9th of July, 

 when the last larva retired into the moss provided for 

 the purpose. 



In 1882 I was prevented from looking into their 

 cage until the 1st of April, when I saw some specimens 

 had already been out some time, as three or four were 

 dead and much shattered ; after this, on the 3rd, a 

 male and two females emerged, and another female on 

 the 8th ; three pupae remained over until the present 

 year, 1883, when on April 12th a male was bred, 

 followed on the 18th by another, and on the 21st by a 

 female, the males being much finer specimens than 

 those of the previous year. 



The egg of versicolor is of a good size, about 2 mm. 

 in length, and rather more than 1 mm. wide, in shape 

 much like that of a brick with rounded-off angles, 

 slightly depressed on the upper side, sometimes on 

 both sides, the surface apparently smooth and very 

 glossy ; when first laid, it is of a light green colour, 

 but this, in the course of a few days, changes to a 

 dark brownish-purple, much the colour of a fresh 

 birch twig. This lasts for about fifteen days and it 

 then assumes a purplish,- violet tint, gleaming like an 

 amethyst, and the interior sems a little cloudy ; a few 

 hours later, it is fainter and pinkish, and then the larva 

 soon hatches. The empty shell, with the circular hole 



