NONAGRIA NEURICA. 41 



sheathing leaf ; the stems which I cut open for the 

 purpose of examining the larva had, I found, been 

 mined to the extent of at least twelve inches. 



The larva of neurica, when full-grown, was one and 

 a half inches in length, remarkably slender, cylindrical, 

 and of uniform size, excepting that the first two and 

 the last two segments tapered a little; the lobes of the 

 head well defined on the crown ; the anal extremity a 

 little flattened above, and rounded in outline ; all the 

 legs well developed, the anal prolegs extending beyond 

 the anal tip and slightly divergent, so that the hinder 

 segments were brought close to the surface on which 

 it might happen to be ; by contrast the ventral prolegs 

 appeared rather long. The segmental divisions and 

 subdivisions not very strongly defined ; the skin soft, 

 smooth, of a waxen texture, flesh-coloured, sometimes 

 inclining to pinkish above, with paler flesh-colour 

 below; the head reddish-brown, and very shining; 

 mouth dusky-brown ; a shining plate on the front of 

 the second segment, of similar flesh-colour to the rest 

 of the body ; another polished plate on the anal flap of 

 greyish-brown, and sometimes margined behind with 

 darker brown ; the dorsal pulsating vessel could just 

 be seen a little paler than the other parts of the back, 

 with a darker patch or two in its course sometimes 

 visible ; a delicate thread-like paler line was visible 

 along the spiracles, which were small, of deeper flesh- 

 colour, finely edged with black; the tubercular dots 

 were smaller, of a darker flesh-colour, or brownish, 

 and polished in texture, each with a very fine hair ; 

 the anterior legs of the same colour as the body, the 

 ventral and anal prolegs rather more transparent and 

 shining, tipped with rather darker hooks. (W. B., 31, 

 12, 73; E.M.M., X, 275, 1874) 



