8782 



Insects. 



elevated at an angle of 45°. The head is about the same width as the body, subpor- 

 rect, and scarcely notched on the crown : the body is uniformly cylindrical and 

 smooth, with tbe exception of two conspicuous, glabrous, approximate warts, placed 

 transversely on tbe back of the 12th segment; each of these emits from the summit a 

 single erect bristle. Head brown : body brown, with numerous fine black markings 

 and a few yellow ones ; the black markings are mere dots, but are collected into 

 groups, sometimes forming short, longitudinal, waved lines ; the yellow markings are 

 in pairs and often very obscure, two on the back of each segment from the 3rd to the 

 12th inclusive ; there is also a series of three yellow spots on each side ; each spot 

 situated just behind a spiracle ; the warts on the 12th segment are red; belly nearly 

 of the same colour as the back, except the space between the legs, and between the 

 ventral and anal claspers, which is glaucous green, approaching to blue. The full- 

 fed larva descends the trunk in June, and, making a slight excavation in the earth, 

 changes to a pupa just below the surface: the perfect insect appears in October aud 

 November.— Edward Newman. 



Description of the Larva of Tepkrosia consonaria. — The egg is laid in May, on the 

 trunks of Betula alba (birch), Fagus sylvatica (beech), and more rarely on Carpinus 

 betulus (hornbeam), on which trees the larvae feed. They are full-fed in June and 

 July, when they rest in a straight posture, parallel with a twig of the food-plant, to 

 which they hold both by the legs and claspers, the head being slightly elevated and 

 porrected. Head somewhat narrower than the body : body nearly uniformly cylindri- 

 cal, but restricted at the incisions of the segments, shining ; both head and body have 

 a few scattered hairs ; each segment of the body, from the 5th to the 11th inclusive, 

 has four small dorsal warts, forming a quadrangle ; the 12th segment has two such 

 dorsal warts rather larger than the rest. The head is grayish brown, reticulated with 

 darker colour, and sometimes tinged with green : the body is gray-brown, tinged with 

 green, and having twelve narrow and closely approximate, dorsal, rivulet markings, of 

 a darker colour, extending throughout its length ; the dorsal warts are dark brown, 

 almost black ; the belly is green ; the ventral claspers are tinged with red; the legs 

 and anal claspers are of the same colour as the body. When full-fed it descends the 

 trunk, and, burying itself in the earth, changes to a pupa, and remains in that state 

 during the winter; the moth appearing in April aud May of the following year. I 

 am indebted to Mr. Doubleday for these larvae, and the information respecting their 

 economy. — Id. 



Description of the Larva of Plug alia pilosaria. — The eggs are laid in crevices of 

 the bark of Carpinus betulus (hornbeam) and some other forest trees, very early in the 

 spring, and are hatched before the leaves begin to expand: the young larvae find their 

 way to the buds, and continue to feed on these until the leaves expand, previously to 

 which they grow very slowly, but no sooner are young leaves available than the larvae 

 feed on them voraciously, and are full-fed by the end of May or beginning of June, 

 when they rest in a nearly straight position, but with the back slightly arched : they 

 neither fall off the food-plant nor feign death when disturbed. The head is prone, of 

 less circumference than the body, and notched on the crown: body of uniform circum- 

 ference, beset with numerous conspicuous warts, scarcely amounting to humps ; each 

 of these warts emits a strong but short bristle, which terminates in an extremely fine 

 point : the situation of the warts I will describe : — on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th segments 

 they are small and insignificant ; on the 5th segment are two placed transversely on 

 the back, and one on each side, but these are still inconspicuous, although manifestly 



