Insects. 



8699 



on R. ruhrum (red currant), greatly preferring those trees of all three species when 

 trained against a v\ all ; in woods and hedges on Primus spinosus (blackthorn), which 

 I believe to he its natural food : it is full-fed in May, when it spins a very slight and 

 perfectly transparent cocoon, iu which it fastens itself by the tail and changes to a 

 pupa, the web or cocoon in no way hiding the pupa, which at first is entirely yellow, 

 but soon becomes black and glabrous, with seven yellow bands, three of which, the 

 1st, 2nd and 3rd, are dorsal only ; the others are complete circles ; the tail terminates 

 in three or more very distinct hooks, which constitute its means of attachment to 

 the interior of the cocoon. The imago appears ou the wing about Midsummer. — 

 Edward Neivman. 



Description of the Larva of Hybernia auranliaria. — These larvae, when first 

 hatched, are of a deep ochreous colour, which gradually darkens until nearly black, 

 with the dorsal line light ochreous ; subdorsal lines grayish white, and the anal seg- 

 ment light brown. When about three weeks old they are the same uniform ground, 

 colour, but with the subdorsal lines more indistinct, and the dorsal one brighter than 

 when younger. When full-fed they are dusky greenish black, with the subdorsal lines 

 (generally) invisible, and the dorsal line light brown. I found them liable to great 

 variation (but chose typical ones to describe) ; one was pale greenish brown ; another 

 light yellow, with only a narrow black stripe to separate the dorsal from the subdorsal 

 lines. I fed them on Crataegus oxyacantha (whitethorn), and found they fed well on it, 

 chiefly by night. They go to earth when changing to pupae, and spin a slight 

 cocoon. The pupa is about a quarter of an inch long, reddish brown in colour, with 

 a dark line down the back. — W. S. Hornby ; Clifton, York. 



Description of the Larva of Cheimatobia brumata. — The apterous female of this 

 very common species lays its eggs in the crevices of the bark of various trees and 

 shrubs during November and December: the larvae make their appearance early in 

 the spring, and commence their destructive career by eating into the young unex- 

 panded buds : at this time of the year the bullfinches and titmice render the most 

 important service to the gardener by their activity in devouring this little garden pest: 

 when the leaves have begun to expand each larva draws two or three together, and 

 unites them by a silken web, coming partially out to feed, and retiring again within 

 its domicile when satisfied. When full-fed it rests with its head on one side, and 

 curled round so as to touch the middle of its body- Head scarcely so wide as the 

 body, scarcely notched on the crown : body rather obese, decreasing in size towards 

 each extremity. Head pale green, semitranspareut, the cheeks often blotched with 

 smoky brown on each side just in the region of the ocelli : body glaucous-green, with 

 a narrow median blackish snipe on the back, and three narrow white stripes at equal 

 intervals on each side; the third or lowest one on each side includes the spiracles ; 

 the first of these three stripes is the most distinct; the second least so, being inter- 

 rupted and irregular ; the third or lowest stripe includes the spiracles : legs and 

 claspers transparent green : it is a variable larva, the colour sometimes green, some- 

 times smoky brown, approaching lo blackish ; the stripes in different individuals differ 

 greatly in distinctness; the median dorsal stripe is apparently in great measure 

 due to the food in the alimentary canal being visible through a very transparent 

 skin ; it is sometimes bordered on each side by an obscure white stripe, thus making 

 eight in all. It is almost useless to specify any tree as the food-plant of this ubiqui- 

 tous larva : I have beaten it by thousands from Carpinus Betulus (hornbeam) in 

 Epping Forest, and I am unable to mention a tree the leaves of which it does not 



