PAOHNOBiA ALPINA. 51 



previously, had now become much darker, and the 

 head and plate remained so pale a flesh colour as to be 

 almost whitish, in singular contrast with the body, 

 but in a few hours regained its former brown colour, 

 but the larva skin is more rugose, neither velvety 

 nor shining. On the 28th, I figured another larva 

 in its penultimate coat of a deep brownish-pink, 

 the dorsal and subdorsal thread-like lines of dirty 

 whitish with a row of black dashes above on the latter, 

 and blackish edging to the former just at the begin- 

 ing and ending of a segment. 



It is to be recorded that the larva, besides bil- 

 berry, will eat birch a little withered, also arbutus, 

 especially the younger leaves, indeed the older leaves 

 too, and as freely as though it were its natural food. 



The penultimate skin of Pachnobia alpina is rather 

 handsome, and proves by its pattern of markings to 

 belong to the genus Noctua, and should be in its 

 proper place at the end of that genus. 



After the last moult its skin is seen to be pachy- 

 dermatous, for to compare small things with great, its 

 skin is like that, of an elephant, leathery and rough 

 with wrinkles, the pattern being composed of black 

 freckles upon a deep rosy brownish-red ground ; on the 

 belly a few paler or flesh-coloured freckles appear 

 on the reddish ground, without any black ones. One 

 larva (subj. 3.) moulted the last time on June 21st, 

 and in a day or two the change from its former 

 gaily- coloured coat to the more sombre full dress was 

 very remarkable. The behaviour of this individual 

 was very wilful and intractable ; when put under a 

 glass it roved round and round eager to escape, but 

 after a while finding it impossible, it coiled itself partly 

 round and went to sleep for many hours, and when 

 in this condition was not easily waked. Indeed the 

 natural habit of this and three other examples is to 

 sleep all the day through and to feed only at night, and 

 even then rather sparingly, as proved by there being 



