68 STAUROPUS FAGI. 



covered by the tense skin of the second segment, was 

 enormously swollen above, the old head- skin projecting 

 forwards in front ; the first pair of legs projected hori- 

 zontally forwards, the long second and third pairs of 

 legs with the femora extended horizontally forwards 

 and the tibiae bent horizontally backward, thus neatly 

 folded ; while thus waiting to moult the skin was shining 

 as though highly varnished. 



This larva moulted during the night and disappointed 

 my hopes of witnessing the operation. After parting 

 with its old skin the larva was quite velvety-looking, 

 not having any gloss. It became full-fed and spun 

 up between two beech leaves on the 17th September. 

 (W. B., Note Book III, 191.) 



Observations on the last moult of the larva of Stauropus 



fagi. 



Though the earlier moults of this curious larva have 

 been described as occurring with comparative ease, 

 and observed to occupy no more time than from ten 

 to fifteen minutes, or at most half an hour, for the 

 penultimate moult, there yet remains the last moult 

 for me to offer some account of ; this takes place at 

 night and is altogether a much more protracted and 

 exhausting operation. 



Specially for this purpose the Rev. Bernard Smith, 

 of Marlow, kindly provided me in the seasons of 1876- 

 77 with several examples of the larva, feeding on beech, 

 but with each of them in turn I unluckily failed to 

 witness the last moult, from my inability to continue 

 on the watch sufficiently late at night. 



However, thanks to another generous friend, the 

 season of 1879 brought a further opportunity with a 

 larva of fagi, feeding this time on oak, very kindly 

 presented to me by Mrs. Hutchinson, of Leominster, 

 and this was destined to compensate for my previous 

 mischances as eventually I was able to see the whole 



