64 YPSIPETES RUBERAMA. 



covered with small irregular depressions, generally 

 hexagonal, pentagonal, or oval, of which there would 

 be about thirty along the edge of a median transverse 

 section. The egg is whitish when first laid, and after 

 a day or two becomes pinkish in tinge, the ridges 

 between the depressions being here and there marked 

 with blotches of darker pink, which increases the 

 general pink tinge when the egg is seen with the 

 naked eye. 



The larva, when first hatched, is remarkably lively, 

 crawling very fast; it is difficult to keep in confine- 

 ment, as it seems to be able to get out of almost any- 

 thing ; after a day or two, however, it settles down to 

 its food (sallow), and gives no more trouble. It seems 

 to like best the under-side of a sallow leaf, especially 

 of a stipule, as a place of residence, spinning thereon 

 a white silken covering for itself, on the outside of 

 which it sticks the down from the leaf, thereby 

 making its abode very inconspicuous. In its earlier 

 days it is gregarious in its habits, several larvae living 

 under one covering; as it grows older it becomes 

 more solitary, though, even up to the time of its being 

 full-fed, two will often inhabit the same house. In its 

 older stages it generally draws two leaves together 

 and lives between them, or sometimes makes its home 

 by folding over a part of a leaf. It rests with its head 

 curled round to its tail, and it is remarkable how small 

 an abode one or two good-sized larvae seem to find 

 comfortable. At night it sallies out and feeds upon 

 its own or the neighbouring leaves, but not on the 

 part it has spun over. It remains nearly full-fed for 

 a very long time before it forms its cocoon ; most of 

 my brood appeared to be full-fed early in September, 

 and on the 25th of October there were still some that 

 had not spun up for pupation. The larva descends to 

 the surface of the ground about the middle of October, 

 and there spins a tough cocoon of silk mixed with 

 small pieces of earth and rubbish, in which it shortly 

 turns to a pupa. In one or two cases the larva spun 



