228 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



They are very objectionable to handle, dirtying your hands in the same way 

 as gothica and instaiilis. They pupated on June 12th. 



These are all of ' the genus Tceniocampa that I reared from ova, and I yet 

 require leucographa, rubricosa, gracilis, opima, an&populeti, as I am describ- 

 the varities of the larvae, and also take notes on all items of interest connected 

 with their life-history. The above notes are the merest outline, but it would 

 take up too much space in a paper like this to go into minute details. 



I also bred the following from ova, amongst many others. 



C. vaccinii hatchedon May 9th, from about 28 ova. I was very anxious 

 indeed to get ova of C. spadicea to breed side by side with it, but was dis- 

 appointed. It is a delightful species to rear, so nice and clean and well- 

 behaved. Their frass is not watery, and they do not dye your hands with 

 green every time you handle them, as many others do. The larva re- 

 minds one of X. ceragc-y being of a very similar form and colouration. 

 Twenty-three larvae went down on June 28th, and during the last week in 

 September I bred twenty-three splendid imagines, all of the same tint and 

 markings, and showing no variation whatsoever. 



A, prodromaria hatched on May 5th, and another batch on the 13th, 

 from ova deposited on April 18th. The ova are excessively tender, the least 

 touch rendering them unfertile, and they are also small for the size of the 

 moth. There was no oak out when the first lot hatched, and the young 

 larvae would not look at anything else, though I tried them with various 

 foods, so I wrote for some oak from the south, which arrived just in time 

 to save about half of them, the remainder dying, I expect from starvation. 

 These larvae have about the strongest threads by which they hang suspended 

 of any larvae I know, and can extend it to a tremendous length ; they also 

 grasp very firmly to their food-plant until full-grown, when they relinquish 

 their hold with more readiness. In fact it is rather dangerous to remove 

 these larvae by hand, as often they cling so tightly that they are more easily 

 pulled asunder than removed. The best plan is to shake the food-plant with 

 them on, when they drop readily, and hang suspended by their strong threads, 

 and are then easily placed where required. The first batch pupated about 

 July 18th, and the second on August 1st. 



Amphydasis betularia hatched on July 19th, from tvpical female and black 

 male, and another batch on August 20th, from black female and typical male. 

 I am keeping them distinct, to see whether they produce any different results. 

 Their habits closely resemble prodromaria, and the half-grown larva is very 

 like that species, resembling rusty reddish twigs. The first brood pupated 

 the beginning of October, and the second one at the time of writing 

 is nearly full-fed. 



