7A, ASTHENA SYLVATA. 
inch in length, or nearly three-fourths when fully — 
stretched out, in figure stoutest at the ninth and tenth 
segments, tapering considerably towards the head, 
which is the smallest segment and has its lobes well 
defined, and not so much towards the tail; this actual 
tapering of the figure appears much enhanced to the 
eye by the arrangement and outline of the markings ; 
all the segments are plump and well defined. 
A favourite attitude of the larva is to rest along the 
midrib at the back of a leaf, with the head held up ; 
the segments two to five kept close to the leaf, six to 
nine raised in an arch or sometimes a loop, and ten to 
thirteen again pressed close to the leaf. | 
The colour of the head is shining blackish-brown, 
the triangular space between the lobes in front pinkish, 
barred across above the mouth with blackish-brown. 
The lip and base of papille pinkish, the jaws blackish- 
brown. On the second segment is a narrow black 
shining plate, from which commences, on the back, a 
broad marking of dark purplish-brown, widening as it 
proceeds, and obliterating the pale yellow-green 
eround; at the end of the fifth segment it reaches 
below the spiracles and begins to spread over the 
ventral surface, in some examples quite enveloping the 
whole body as far as the ninth, on which segment its 
colour becomes rosy-red, and thence narrows again as 
adorsal stripe to the anal extremity ; this dark marking 
is darkest—almost black—on its lower edge, and has. 
throughout a narrow edging of sulphur-yellow melting 
into the yellow-green below ; on each side of the fifth 
is a patch of yellow on the yellow-green ground, and 
there is an elongate yellow patch on each side of the 
ninth, showing very conspicuously on the dark colouring 
which there surrounds it. On the dark marking at the 
beginning of segments five, six, seven, and eight, is a 
squarish dorsal violet mark, whence slants backward 
on either side a whitish streak, thus forming nearly a 
perfect chevron pointing forwards; the dorsal line can 
scarcely be traced on the thoracic segments, but thence 
