78 ARGTNNIS EUPHR0SYNE. 



the young larvae, but the disappointment lay in the 

 hibernation. We never could get a single larva to feed 

 up in the spring, nor could we, with all our searching 

 in fit localities at that season, ever detect a larva feeding 

 at large. However, our attempts, though fruitless in 

 one point of view, made us acquainted with the 

 earliest stages which I will give before proceeding to 

 the full-grown larva. 



The egg is of a blunt conical shape, with its lower 

 surface, which adheres to the leaf, flattened, its sides 

 are ribbed ; at first it is of a dull greenish -yellow colour, 

 becoming afterwards brownish. Towards fche end of 

 June the larva is hatched, being then of a pale greenish 

 tint ; after its first moult it becomes browner-green, 

 and about the middle of July it attaches itself to the 

 plant and ceases to feed. 



On one occasion I prevented this early beginning of 

 hibernation by keeping a larva in a hot sunny window, 

 and at the end of July I had the satisfaction of seeing 

 it half an inch long ; it was then black and spiny, 

 with a faint indication of a dull whitish stripe along 

 the sides above the feet, but unluckily after ifcs hiber- 

 nation had commenced it was killed by mould settling 

 upon it ; and up to last spring this was all I had to 

 record. 



But on the 1st of April, 1868, 1 had the indescribable 

 pleasure of receiving a larva of this species, most kindly 

 presented to me by Mr. W. H. Harwood, of Colchester, 

 and which he had found during a walk through a wood ; 

 his attention having been for a moment arrested 

 by a leaf of primrose being much eaten, and on turn- 

 ing it up he detected the larva adhering to it. 



From its size and appearance being similar to the 

 one above mentioned I felt sanguine in having now a 

 chance of observing and rearing a larva to the perfect 

 state. When received it was barely half an inch long, 

 covered with spines and black, except a stripe formed 

 of whitish freckles running along above the legs ; but 

 on the thoracic segments only were they so thick as 



