“ will thrive well on apple.” Mr. Holland (Entom. Record ) mentions 
that he finds them “ mostly on beech, but some on birch and oak.” He 
also records that some larvae he was keeping fed up well, sleeved on apple. 
Godart ( Histoire Naturelle des Lepidopteres ) suggests that it may feed 
on elm, as he had twice found the larva at the foot of that tree. We 
have beaten them from beech, oak and sallow, and fed up our larvae on 
beech, which keeps very well if the branches are put in bottles of 
water. Habits of Larva: —With regard to the habits of the larva, I 
am sorry to say that its most noticeable habit in captivity seems to be 
pugnacity. Both the Rev. Bernard Smith and Mr. Holland note this 
trait in its character. The former, too, says that instances have occurred 
of cannibalism, but modifies the accusation by saying that this does not 
often happen. Our own larvae behaved very much in the manner 
recorded by Mr. Holland (Entom. Record , ii., 227) of those he kept. 
They fought whenever they met, and numerous cripples were the result. 
Instances too occurred in which a larva lost a tail or a portion of a tail. 
They struck at one another cpiite savagely, swinging their bodies round 
with considerable force. Some few cripples pupated, as did some of 
Mr. Holland’s. One poor fellow lost both his long legs on one side, 
and could not keep on the food ; he died after crawling or wriggling 
pitifully about the bottom of the cage for some time. I am afraid the 
only really efficacious remedy for these bad habits is to keej) each larva 
separately. The larvas on a beech tree in a state of nature certainly 
need not annoy each other for want of space, especially as the ova seem 
to be laid in a scattered manner. Both the Rev. Bernard Smith and Mr. 
Holland concur in recommending searching for the larva in preference 
to beating. The larva, I believe, sticks very firmly to the small 
branches. My brother, who saw several beaten in the New Forest last 
year, tells me that a good proportion of these were either in the act of, 
or had just completed, a change of skin. Mr. Holland calls attention 
(Ent. Record, ii., 227) to the long period over which the larvae may be 
found. In 1891, he took them full grown at the beginning of August, 
and yet found young ones in September. The larva takes about two 
months to feed up (Mr. H.) Mr. Holland also sends me most interesting 
notes on several other characteristics of the caterpillar. He tells me 
that the larva when disturbed ejects an acid like Centra vinula does, 
and his friend, Mr. Hamm, was once made painfully aware of this fact 
by having the acid spurted into his eye. He also refers to the 
“ trembling quivering attitude ” which they take up when disturbed, 
and adds that “ any one who beats out a larva for the first time will be 
sure to think he has crippled it with the beating stick, as it always 
appears about to expire in a fit of palsy.” I believe the larva of 
Notodonta trepida behaves in the same curious manner. Most of my 
hearers will no doubt have seen the note in the last number of the 
Record, by Mr. Newnham, calling attention to the habit this larva has 
of drinking. Mr. Holland says that it likes to drink drops of water off 
its food, and that Mr. Hamm has repeatedly seen them doing this in 
the breeding cage. Mr. Holland thinks that “ most likely they are in 
the habit of sucking up drops of dew on the leaves,” and suggests that 
sprinkling the food in the breeding cage occasionally might be beneficial. 
Rrotective resemblances :—With reference to the protective resemblances 
of the larva, Mr. Holland has called my attention to their likeness 
“ when at rest, to the brown scales on the beech twigs, and when 
