DREPANA SICULA. 71 



The eggs are laid by the parent moth on the very 

 edges of the leaves, so that when hatched her progeny 

 shall find themselves exactly where their food is most 

 suitable, for however much they may wander at first, 

 it is there, in preference to any other part, the young 

 larvse invariably begin to feed on the cuticle of the 

 upper surface ; there also they spin a small quantity 

 of silk, on which to rest and be secure while moulting. 



After a moult, while the larva is but little more 

 than one-eighth of an inch long, the future form is 

 indicated, though the segments are strongly wrinkled 

 and folded across at intervals, and the previous plain, 

 chocolate-brown colour is exchanged for russet-brown, 

 relieved by minute dots and transverse bars of yellow. 



After the next moult, the larva begins to cut quite 

 through the substance of the leaves, eating out semi- 

 circular portions from the edge ; it also begins to 

 show on the brown-ground colour little patches of 

 very subdued ochreous yellow in angular forms on the 

 back. Five days later it spins a quantity of silk, 

 tying as it were the leaves loosely together, but firmly, 

 for its safety while laid up for another moult, which is 

 accomplished after two or three more days, and then 

 it has the characteristic party-coloured coat of dark 

 velvety-brown and pale cream colour, the tubercular 

 process appearing on the fourth segment as two short 

 black eminences. It soon spins more silk threads, 

 keeping the leaves partly together, and feeds well 

 until once more laid up for moulting, and this takes 

 place about a week after the previous change of skin. 



Now the rosy-pink colour appears on the belly and 

 ventral prolegs, and the yellow parts of the back have 

 a thin brown dorsal and fine lateral lines, the yellow 

 being much brighter than before ; three distinct 

 shapes of yellow are seen on the back, well defined, 

 and contrasted by the rich dark brown surrounding 

 them, viz. a brilliant pale yellow triangular mark, its 

 base at the beginning of the fifth segment, its apex at 

 the beginning of the sixth ; an elongated diamond 



