Insects. 



8013 



other very closely ; so that the life-history of C. variabilis given by 

 Rosel, Frisch, Hartig, Ratzeburg, Lyonet, and perhaps other authors, 

 is far from being in a satisfactory state of clearness. It appears to 

 me that these authors have made their observations on more than one 

 species, and I should be much pleased if I could be enabled to rein- 

 vestigate this matter, for which purpose I shall be happy to receive 

 contributions of larvae. As Westwood informs us, the egg is laid in a 

 slit made by the female with her saw in the soft shoots of the haw- 

 thorn ; this must take place in May. Tne larvae are always of a 

 greenish white colour; in point of fact the skin is green, but covered 

 as it were with a white powdery dust (see figs. 1, 2 and 3). Until the 

 last moult but one the crown of the head is black, generally covered 

 with a white exudation from the body ; the remainder of the head, 

 from the top of the clypeus downwards, is white. The eyes can be 

 clearly seen inserted in oblong black spots, and below them the little 

 white antennae. After the last moult but one the head of the larva is 

 bright yellow, with a pretty large brownish orange-coloured spot on 

 the crown, and the spots in which the eyes are inserted have become 

 more circular. 



The larvae are nearly four centimetres long. The six anterior legs 

 are whitish green, very pale, with brown claws, the penultimate joint 

 being broad and somewhat flattened. There are eight pairs of abdo- 

 minal legs light green, without claws or hooks ; making twenty-two 

 legs in all. A darker green stripe runs along the back. On either 

 side of the body are nine elliptical spiracles, and above each a small 

 round orifice (fig. 6), this latter being the mouth of a duct from which 

 this larva, the same as that of Abia aenea, discharges a colourless fluid 

 on being touched. Westwood remarks that in the case of larvae kept 

 in confinement this discharge of fluid rapidly decreases, and at last 

 ceases altogether. I imagine he must have fed his larvae on too dry 

 food, although I must at the same time admit that some individual swere 

 rather apathetic as to touching and handling. If the larva is touched 

 too roughly it immediately lets itself fall to the ground. They live 

 until the end of July, feeding upon the leaves of the common haw- 

 thorn or whitethorn ; during the day they keep concealed among the 

 foliage, and it is only on the approach of evening twilight that they 

 creep out to feed. My larvae always made cocoons at the end of 

 •July or the beginning of August ; these they fastened to the twigs of 

 hawthorn or between the leaves, sometimes in the corners and on the 

 bottom of their cage. These cocoons were hard and firm, similar to 

 those of C. variabilis, but very different from those of C. Amerinae, 



