I December. 



That butterflies may sometimes bo disturbed before their wings are dry I 

 know, for last July a Vanessa cardui tempted me across a large field before it was 

 secured, by its curiously heavy and short flights, and when captured, its wings were 

 80 limp, that it seemed impossible it could have used them for flying.— Charles G. 

 Barrett, Norwich, Noveiyiher 6th, 1868. 



• 



Description of the larva of I/yccena Artaxerxes. — On the 8th May, 1868, Mr. 

 Doubleday kindly presented me with three larvjB of Artaxerxes, about half-grown, 

 which had been sent to him by Mr. Wilson, of Edinburgh, who found them on 

 Helianthemum vulgarc. 



They fed well on this plant, and were always on the under-sides of the leaves, 

 to which they assimilated so well as to be difl&cult of detection. 



The larva is of the usual Lyccena shape, somewhat onisciform, short and thick, 

 being arched on the back, sloping on the sides, the spiracular region swollen, and 

 projecting laterally much beyond the ventral legs ; tlie segments appear deeply 

 divided, especially on the back, down which are two rows of rather peaked cone- 

 like eminences, with a dorsal hollow between them, the second segment simply 

 rounded above, and rather longer than the other, and tapering a little near the 

 head, which is very small and retractible ; the anal segment tapers very little, 

 is rounded behind, and hollowed above on the sides ; the twelfth segment has a 

 small and prominent wart on each side. 



The half-grown larva is from three to four lines in length, pale green in colour, 

 and clothed with very fine and short whitish bristles. The dorsal line, beginning 

 on the fourth and ending on the twelfth segment, is of a faint brown, though wider 

 and more strongly marked just at the beginning of each segment, and widest at its 

 termination on the penultimate. 



On the sides of the fifth to the tenth segments are double oblique lines slanting 

 backwards and downwards, of paler green in front and darker green behind, than 

 that of the ground colour. At this stage of growth the lateral projecting ridge of 

 swellings broadly pink, with scarcely an indication of a central paler stripe ; the 

 belly and ventral legs pale yellowish-gi'een ; the anterior legs flesh colour. The 

 head black, base of the papillsB flesh colour, and a streak of the same above the 

 mouth. 



On approaching full-growth its length is about half-an-inch ; the oblique stripes 

 gradually disappear, and its green colour becomes rather darker ; a pinkish-white 

 sti-ipe runs along the lateral prominences, broadly bordered above by a stripe of 

 rose-pink, and beneath by a broader stripe of still darker pink ; the spiracles aro 

 flesh-colour, situated in the upper pink stripe, very minute and inconspicuous. 

 The ventral legs green, and the anterior legs pinkish spotted with brown. 



Two changed to the pupa-state on May 2l8t, and the third a week later, all in 

 nearly perpendicular positions, amongst, and slightly attached to, the stems of the 

 Helianthemum by a few silk threads near the ground. 



The pupa is about four lines in length, smooth, and without polish, rather 

 thick in i)ropoition, the head rounded and prominent, the thorax rounded abovo^ 

 the abdomen plump and curved a little backwards, its extremity being hidden in 

 the shiivelled lai-va-skin which adheres to it. The colour of the head, thorax, and 

 wing-cases blue-green, a black curved streak obliquely placed on each side of the 



