217 
that they also took kindly to one another-in the style of Hamlet's 
little more than kin, and less than kind ;"-for, although I never caught 
: act of cannibalism, somehow they became fewer and fewer m number, 
August 12th, there remained but one full-grown larva to be described. 
lewlY-hatched larva is quite translucent and glossy, in colour rose-pmk, 
lert'owards the tail; the head blackish; the skin furnished with some 
At the end of a week it had lost much of its translucent look, the 
a become more of a claret, the bristles had disappeared. At the end of 
reek or ten days, much of tbe purplish-red had vanished, and the colour 
me a dark brown. On August 12th, the full-grown larva was thus des- 
■Length, when stretched out in walking, about ^-inch ; but its general 
s to " hunch up " its middle segments into a close loop, keeping the front 
segments close to the surface on which it is resting; and for this position 
e seems specially adapted, the head and three following segments being 
.aller than the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th, all four of which are tumid, and the 
.cments being also somewhat smaller ; there are but two paks of ventral 
2 legs in all. The colour of the back is dark purplish or crimson-brown, 
ssy, making it hard to distinguish the obscure markings on it; through 
runs a slightly paler central stripe ; the sub-dorsal line is faintly seen as 
,rown line, edged with blackish below ; the sides and belly are paler, and 
hreous in tint; taken altogether, the larva has a general appearance 
try, dark, chocolate colour. 
nist 15th, my larva became a pupa, naked, because I had unfortunately 
d it whilst setting about a slight cocoon : its length was about i-mch, its 
lunt at the head, tapering gradually towards the tail, which was rounded, 
be, cylindrical, with polished surface ; in colour it was all over alike, of a 
,en, faintly tinged with brown.-J. Hellins, Exeter, December 2nd, 1869. 
rly breeding of Aplecta occ.tta.-Last autumn I had eggs of this moth given 
ny Iriend Mr. G. B. Longstaff, from a <? taken at Forres. These hatched 
:ime, and fed up on Plantago lanceolata, growing, however, very irregularly. 
12th December, some four had gone under the moss to change. 
. the nth January, I was surprised to iind a fine ^ specimen of the perfect 
n my breeding cage. The larv^ and pupae had been kept during the whole 
a room, which had a fire during the day-time. 
any pupee of Noctuce, such as piniperda, &c., which usually produce the perfect 
much earlier than occulta, were in the same box, and are yet unchanged, 
.rly breeding of occuUa seems to be worth recording.- Geo. Norman, Ben 
ing, 12t/i January, 1870. 
ore abnormal appearances of Lepidoptera.-A male Selenia illustraria emerged 
w Year's day. Like the one recorded in last month's Magagine (p. 190) it 
he sp«.g-not the s.mmer-form. Ou this day (January 14th) a fine ? 
-.ecix helveticata has made its appearance. Am I a privileged individual, as 
is these abnormal appearances which I have recorded, or have others expen- 
the same ? I would repeat that, in all the cases, the pupae have been kept 
cold room, at the top of the house, facing the north.-J. Greenk, Apsley 
, Redlaud, Bristol, lUk January, 1870. 
