NOOTUA CON FLU A. 35 



the middle ; the shape is globular, just the least 

 flattened beneath. 



On the 20th August, passing over the earlier stages, 

 which I noted last year, I resume a description of the 

 larva at half an inch in length. It is darkish-brown 

 on the back, and darker brown on the sides, with 

 some faint traces of the dorsal line, and the subdorsal 

 one whitish and very distinct, an obscure black edging 

 above it, and a cream-coloured stripe beneath the 

 spiracles. 



Mr. Norman sent me several batches of eggs, but I 

 here describe the larvae of the third batch first. The 

 eggs came on 27th July, and hatched on the 31st. 

 Mr. Norman, in his letter from Forres, dated 25th July, 

 says : " Pardon me for sending confiua again. They 

 are from very pretty parents, quite different in colour 

 from the former.' ' 



Now the larvse from these eggs, although much like 

 other N. confiua when very young, yet nevertheless 

 soon began to look rather different from the other 

 broods of this species, chiefly in showing the dark 

 subdorsal dashes at an earlier stage than usual, as 

 well as in being thicker also. Another circumstance 

 to be mentioned is that though treated like all the 

 other broods, yet they matured in several instances 

 much earlier than the others, and one of them pupated 

 on the 3rd of October, and others at intervals, and by 

 the 2nd of November as many as twelve had entered 

 that stage. The full-grown larva is very plump, the 

 largest segment being the twelfth, and the head the 

 smallest, the thoracic segments tapering towards it 

 when stretched out; at such times, it is one inch to 

 an inch and one-eighth in length. The ground colour 

 of the back and sides is purplish-brown, palest on the 

 back ; the pale dorsal line of this colour is but faintly 

 visible here and there, chiefly towards the ends of 

 segments, for the two blackish-brown lines that enclose 

 it seem much run and fused together. The subdorsal 

 line is white, or whitish, but is very fine and thin, 



