68 HELIOPHOBUS POPULARIS. 



feed up in summer, retire underground, and make neat 

 oval chambers for their retreat during pupation ; and 

 the moths appear at the latter end of summer or be- 

 ginning of autumn. 



When young the larvae all show a greenish hue, 

 with whitish lines — graminis and popularis beiug of a 

 paler, more olive tint; while cespitis is of a bright, clear, 

 full green, with the lines also of a purer white than in 

 the other species. 



I have noticed that popularis, when about half grown, 

 shows a very beautiful opalescent pinkish gleam of 

 colouring about the ventral legs and belly, which I 

 have not observed in the other two. By degrees, in 

 all of them the green becomes darkened with brown, 

 and a metallic or bronzy lustre makes its appearance, 

 until at last the full dress is assumed, which I now 

 proceed to describe. 



In shape all are similar ; the head is full and rounded, 

 the body stout and cylindrical, thickest in the middle, 

 and tapering towards each extremity ; when disturbed 

 they do not curl up, but bend their head and tail to- 

 gether on one side. 



But in size, as might be expected from the moths, 

 they differ ; thus popularis, when full grown, measures 

 fully If inches in length, cespitis 1-|, and graminis If ; 

 and their bulk is in proportion to their length. 



Next as to colour and ornamentation ; all three are 

 much alike in hue, and all have five conspicuous stripes, 

 arranged as dorsal, subdorsal, and subspiracular. 



The colour of the head is brown ; and that of the 

 back, as far as the spiracles, is a deep brown-greenish 

 or smoky brown, bronzy and very shining ; a black (or 

 at least darker than the ground colour) semicircular 

 plate on the second segment, on which commence the 

 dorsal and subdorsal stripes, in colour pale pinkish- 

 grey, greyish-ochreous, or pale brownish, widening a 

 little in the stoutest part of the body, and gradually 

 narrowing again till they converge and meet at the 

 tip of the anal flap, which is covered with another 



