8 4 
GENERAL NOTES. 
leaf or stem and the anal portion of the last segment is attached to this cushion. Just at actual 
pupation the larva, which has been hanging for one or two days by the tip of the abdomen, with 
the head and anterior segments bent upwards in a sharp curve, unrolls itself till it hangs 
almost perpendicularly, and begins a series of lengthening and shortening or retractile movements; 
the larval skin splits down the back of the anterior segments, and the pupa begins twisting in all 
directions with a screwing motion, gradually working the skin up towards the tip of the abdomen, 
as a tight-fitting glove-finger is pushed off. The pupa has now a most difficult feat to perform— 
to suspend itself by the “ cremaster ” (the plate or flap above the anus of the larva, modified in the 
pupa for this special purpose) and at the same time to rid itself of the larval skin, which also covers 
the cremaster. Reamur, more than a hundred and fifty years ago, discovered how this task was 
effected—briefly, the larval skin, which hangs from the button of silk, is gripped between the 
posterior articulations of the pupa and by certain hooked processes at the tip of the pupal abdomen; 
whilst the pupa is thus temporarily held by the old larval skin, the “ cremaster ” is cleared from it and 
securely hooked into the silk button by screwing motions of the tip of the abdomen. The discarded 
skin sometimes remains attached to the silk, but the movements of the pupa usually jerk it to the 
ground. The pupa then adjusts itself to its normal position, but afterwards again twists, expands 
and contracts the segments; again it rests awhile and anon repeats the same manoeuvres, finally 
remaining quiescent at its natural angle. All this, from the time the larva unrolls and begins its 
retractile movements, is accomplished in about five minutes. Larval spines usually appear in the 
pupa as dorsal processes. 
Shortly before the butterfly emerges the pupa either turns nearly black, or the colours of 
the wings show through the pupal envelope. The latter splits down the back of the head and 
thorax, and the insect releasing its forelegs gradually works out and frees the abdomen from the 
shell, the abdominal part of which does not split; the parts which come unsoldered, so to speak, are 
the wing-cases, whilst the thorax splits dorsally. Having got rid of its encumbrance, the butterfly 
generally sits on the wreck of the pupa and slowly sways from side to side, shaking out the folds of 
the wings. Within a quarter of an hour these organs are fully expanded, and the insect forces out 
a few drops of reddish or ochreous fluid from the abdomen (probably the waste products of the 
pupal stage) and is ready for its first flight. At this time the two portions forming the proboscis 
are separated along their entire length, but the butterfly soon adjusts them together. I believe, 
however, that the parts are not infrequently separated in after life, probably to clear away some slight 
obstruction which has choked the passage. 
Butterflies generally emerge from the pupa early in the morning, nearly always before noon. 
% 
The number of eggs laid by a butterfly probably varies somewhat individually ; from 
females of Vanessa indica I have taken at different times upwards of 90 eggs, about 70 of which 
seemed almost ready to lay. This would seem to be the usual number laid by this species at one 
time; whether a $ lays more then once in the season I do not know. 
