8696 



Insects, 



in about a fortnight, the male flying with activity, the female rarely leaving the place 

 where it emerges ; it never flies to any considerable distance. I am indebted to Mr. 

 Brown, of Cambridge, for this larva, and for a knowledge of the economy of the spe- 

 cies. — Edward Newman. 



Description of the Larva of Orgyia gonostigma. — We know but little of the eco- 

 nomy of this insect in a state of nature, and therefore I can only record its habits in 

 confinement. The female lays her eggs in Jane, on a web which formed the covering 

 of the pupa, without any regularity, and sometimes even piled on each other; and 

 they are not always confined to the web, but sometimes scattered over other parts of 

 the breeding-cage ; the young larvae emerge from the egg in about three weeks, and 

 change their skin several times without appearing to increase much in size : they hy- 

 bernate early in October, spinning a slight web, and secreting themselves under the 

 leaves on which they have been feeding: from this retirement they emerge about the 

 middle of March, long before there is any appearance of the oak-buds bursting ; but 

 if supplied with the opening buds of the whitethorn they will feed on them until the 

 oak-leaves have made their appearance ; they feed chiefly on Quercus Robur (oak), 

 always preferring stunted bushes, and not frequenting grown trees; but also on 

 Crataegus oxyacantha (whitethorn), Betula alba (birch), and Salix Caprea (sallow) : 

 they continue to feed until the end of May. When full-fed, which is usually early in 

 June, the larva rests in nearly a straight posture on its food-plant. Head prone, 

 nearly of the same width as the body ; body of nearly uniform substance throughout ; 

 2nd segment emitting two long tufted fascicles of hairs, which project over the head, 

 and have exactly the appearance of the pedunculated eyes of snails ; the 5th, 6th, 7th 

 and 8th segments severally bear a dense dorsal transverse brush, composed of erect 

 stiff hairs; the 12th segment bears a single fascicle of long hairs directed backwards 

 at an angle of 45 degrees, and the 13th segment emits a great number of hairs of dif- 

 ferent lengths directed backwards; the 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th segments 

 havef severally two transversely placed dorsal warts, emitting a fascicle of radiating 

 hairs of two kinds, the outer and longer ones being simple bristles, the inner and 

 shorter ones beautifully plumose or clothed with minute hairs ; in addition to these 

 ornaments each segment has on each side three warts, each bearing a radiating fascicle 

 of stiff bristles. Head black and glabrous; the fascicles of the 2nd and 12th segments 

 black, the four dorsal brushes brown ; the plumose dorsal fascicles whitish tinged with 

 a golden lustre ; the lateral fascicles dingy brown ; ground colour of the body intense 

 velvety black, with four rows of somewhat amorphous bright orange spots ; the upper 

 row on each side alternate with the dorsal series of fasciculated warts ; the lower row 

 on each side form an interrupted stripe, which passes through the middle lateral 

 series of warts ; the protuberances which emit the long anterior fascicles are decorated 

 with a large bright orange spot. The larva spins a slight web, thickly interspersed 

 with its hairs, the colour of the whole being dingy ochreous ; in this it changes to a 

 shining pupa, intensely black, but having three pale abdominal rings, and also a 

 rather dense dorsal clothing of pale delicate hairs, commencing on the head and con- 

 tinuing down the back to the caudal extremity, which is very pointed and furnished 

 with minute hooks, by which it is attached to the interior of its web. The chrysalis 

 state lasts for a fortnight or three weeks ; in the present year the males were on the 

 wing by the middle of June, but the time of emerging usually lasts for three weeks, 

 viz., from the 16th of June to the 3rd or 4th of July. I am indebted to Mr. Black- 

 more for the opportunity of describing this beautiful larva. — Id. 



