62 tiNDOtlilCHA FLAMMEALIS. 



leaves, although ifc will yet, for a short time, occa- 

 sionally vary its diet by eating a small portion from a 

 green privet leaf, or even a small oak leaf if very 

 tender, though at no time does it seem to really like 

 either, and very soon it entirely rejects those leaves 

 that may still linger in a comparatively green state. 



The changed quality of its food seems to affect the 

 colouring of the larva, for by the end of September 

 it is of a dark purplish-brown, more dingy than before ; 

 the previous dorsal division on the neck-plate has 

 disappeared, and the plate is now wholly black and 

 shining, and it is altogether quite in harmony with its 

 surroundings on the earth, where in a state of nature 

 it would be, during winter, in the midst of fallen 

 leaves of various kinds, and sure to find some with the 

 requisite qualities of moisture and tenderness agree- 

 able to its taste, and with these most probably it 

 would not be very particular in its choice. 



After hibernation and when full-grown the larva is 

 from 16 to 18 mm. in length ; its proportions are 

 rather slender as far as the sixth segment, thence 

 gradually thickening towards the ninth, then as 

 gradually decreasing to the end of the eleventh, and 

 more tapering to the end of the thirteenth ; the head 

 is a trifle narrower than the second segment ; the third 

 and fourth have deepish and subdivided wrinkles ; the 

 remainder are well divided, and each is on the back 

 subdivided in the middle by two deep wrinkles very 

 close together, a distinguishing character from a very 

 early stage ; the front subdivision of the thirteenth is 

 long and the anal flap short ; the ventral legs are 

 small, the stouter anal pair extended backwards; the 

 tubercular dots are as before, but not a trace can be 

 seen of the crater-shaped spots before mentioned; 

 they are obsolete ; the fine rugosity which had 

 previously made the skin so dull is now much 

 smoothed away ; the general colouring, too, is rather 

 less dark on the back and sides ; the spiracles are 

 round and black, but so minute as only to be seen with 



