82 
Observations on the various Insects 
prominent : the antennae are twice as long as the thorax, sub- 
clavate, black and pubescent, excepting the basal joint, which is 
green, shining, and globose ; 2nd small, ord and 4th obovate ; 
the follo^^■ing compressed, broader, and obovate-truncate ; apical 
joint conical : the thorax is reddish orange, often with 2 dusky 
spots on the disc ; it is a trifle broader than the head, of an orbi- 
cular form, but the anterior angles are visible, and the base is 
contracted : scutellum blue : elytra elliptical, thrice as long as 
the thorax, and twice as broad, of a beautiful deep blue, some- 
times with a slight greenish tint, and rarely black ; there are ] 0 
lines of long punctures on each : the wings are ample ; the under 
side is deep blue and punctured : the 6 legs are bright and deep 
ochreous : the trochanters black : the thighs are stout : the tips 
of the tibiae are dusky, and the tarsi are black and pubescent; they 
are 4-jointed, and cushioned beneath ; the 2 basal joints are 
elongated, 3rd bilobed, 4th the longest, slender, clavate, and fur- 
nished with 2 simple claws : length 2 lines, breadth f . For 
figures and dissections of the Crioceris consult the ' British Ento- 
mology,' pi. 323 ; and in the ' Gardener's Chronicle,' previously 
referred to, the eggs, larvae, &c. of C. Asparagi are figured and 
described. 
I have already given the history and drawings of the meta- 
morphoses of a caterpillar * which feeds on the wheat when in 
ear, as well as after it is stacked or housed ; and in October last I 
received from Mr. Graham of Cranford another caterpillar be- 
longing to the family NoctuidcB, of somewhat similar habits. Mr. 
Graham sent me about a dozen of them from the refuse wheat in 
his barn after thrashing. They were nearly f of an inch long, 
and several of them died from injuries they had received. I put 
them into a box with wheat and chalf, and they evidently fed 
upon the grain during the winter, and increased in size very 
materially, one being at the end of February an inch long, and as 
thick as an oat-straw. They were exceedingly active, and dis- 
liked the light, generally burying themselves amongst the corn as 
soon as the box was opened ; and in turning round they doubled 
themselves very much, so as to form a loop, the head approaching 
the tail. They were semi-cylindrical, with 6 pectoral, 8 abdo- 
minal, and 2 anal feet, of a dull ochreous red tint, and slightly 
hairy : there was an indistinct paler line down the anterior por- 
tion of the back, but it vanished behind, and each segment bore a 
V-shaped figure ; the sides were darker, with apparently a pale 
oblique line on each segment, owing more to the light falling on 
the raised muscles than to colour, and the spiracle beneath each 
* Caradrina Cubicularis, Journal of the Royal Agric. Soc, vol. v. p. 481, 
pi. K, f. 16-18. 
