136 
[November, 
and bristly hairs : by the third day after hatching the black acquires more colour of 
rather greenish-grey, the belly still translucent ; the first two pairs of ventral legs 
are at first not in use and but little developed, and the larva often rests in a looping 
position and walks like a semi-looper. They readily feed on plantain, dock, and grass. 
“ After their first moult, on the 26tli, when they were a week old, their bodies 
were of a drab-green, with the head and plate light brown, altogether less 
translucent, and with dark brown hairs as before, still looping without using the 
less developed first two pairs of ventral legs. 
“ By the 31st they had moulted a second time and now showed a pale spiracular 
stripe and the belly rather translucent, above on back and sides green with paler 
dorsal and subdorsal lines, head pale. Length ^ inch, by September 3rd fully f inch 
long with the green of the back more opaque, the pale lines edged with darker, 
especially above the pale spiracular stripe. Only a few of the larvae at this date 
answer to this description, as many have yet to get over this moult. 
“ September 5th ; 15 had moulted the third time, and were now possessed 'with 
all the characteristic markings of Triphcena jpronuha. 
“September 9th; a few had just moulted the fourth time, others waiting to 
moult.” 
Mr. Buckler kindly sent me with these notes one larva in the third moult and 
one in the fourth moult. These larvae had now ceased to loop and used all their 16 
legs in walking as a sensible larva of T. pronuba should do. 
Having felt a lively interest in these larvae from their semi-looping habit in 
infancy, I put the question to Mr. Buckler whether he was acquainted with any 
other newly hatched 16-legged larva, which were also given to semi-looping? 
His reply to this query is of extreme interest : — 
“ In reply to your enquiry I can say that the larvae of Tcenioeampa opima when 
young are semi-loopers, from not using the first two pairs of ventral legs, so also are 
the larvae of Phlogophora meticulosa and no doubt those of many other species, but 
these are the latest instances I have observed.” — H. T. Stainton, Mountsfield, 
Lewisham: September 15th, 1880. 
Notes on Lepidoptera in Yorkshire in 1880. — At the end of the season it is 
natural and necessary to put our notes and captures together, so that we may see 
how we stand in relation to the science we take an interest in, and note whether we 
have anything worth recording. It is an observed fact that there is gi’eat variation 
in the appearance of insects. Species common to one year are scarce the next, 
whilst others, which have been scarce for a year or more, again appear in great 
numbers ; how to account for this irregularity seems in the present state of our 
knowledge scarcely possible : we should reasonably expect from an abundance of 
one season an increase in the next, and so on, but we find the reverse of this the 
case, species one year plentiful, the following wanting or rare. Speaking to a gentleman 
the other day this subject came under our notice ; he suggested the idea that 
they were affected by atmospheric influence ; the egg or pupal stage required 
certain conditions of atmosphere to suit their existence and bring them forward, 
and without these were present they would remain in a dormant state for a limited 
or lengthened period. 
The following insects have being noticed by me as been common in this locality 
