ETTCHEIRA.— HESPEKOCHARIS. 125 



Hab. Mexico 1 i Guanajuato (Boucard), Amecameca (F. D. G.). 



This appears to be a common insect in Mexico, inhabiting the upland oak-districts, 

 where it lives in societies. Its nest, as described by Prof. J. O. Westwood, is so 

 peculiar that we here transcribe his account of it. He says : — " The nest of this insect 

 is of firm texture, not much unlike very thick parchment, which it also resembles in 

 colour. It is about eight inches long, of a somewhat oval form, narrowed at the top for 

 about three inches into a kind of neck, and attached to a slender branch, without the 

 power of swinging backwards and forwards, in consequence of its being built at the 

 junction of a twig which runs down the neck of the nest. The lower part of the neck 

 is a little produced, and is terminated by a circular orifice about two thirds of an inch in 

 diameter. On examining the texture of the nest with a very high-powered lens, it is 

 found to be composed of an infinity of shining and very slender silken lines crossing each 

 other in every direction : from the strength of its texture, therefore, the labour employed 

 in its construction must be very great. On the whole, this nest has much the appearance 

 of some of the Paper-making Wasps' nests, such as Vespa chartaria. On making a 

 longitudinal incision from the bottom of the nest a remarkable appearance presented 

 itself, not fewer than a hundred chrysalides being attached both to its inner surface, 

 occupying the upper half of the dome of the nest, and to the lower part of the twig 

 descending through its neck. The nest is therefore the pendent habitation of the social 

 caterpillars of a species of butterfly, and is, in fact, the most perfectly formed nest of 

 any Lepidopterous insect yet described." 



HESPEKOCHARIS. 



Hesperocharis, Felder, Verh. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, xii. p. 493. 



Hesperocharis is a genus containing a limited number of species, which, again, are 

 sparingly represented by individuals ; these affect mountainous districts from Southern 

 Mexico to Chili and the Argentine Kepublic. About twenty species of the genus are 

 known, of which six inhabit our region. 



The subcostal nervure of the primaries of H. marchali emits one branch before the 

 end of the cell and two close to the apex. The middle and upper discocellulars are 

 short and subequal. The autennge are but slightly thickened towards the end (more 

 distinctly clubbed in H. costaricensis and H. crocea). The palpi are covered in front 

 with very long hairs ; the terminal joint is rather slender and clavate, about the same 

 length as the second, and both considerably shorter than the basal joint. The harpa- 

 gones are simple lobes, rounded at the extremity with an internal lobe ; the tegumen 

 besides the terminal hook or claw has a blunt projection on either side directed 

 forwards and slightly upwards. 



The female of II. costaricensis has a spinous patch similar to that of Catasticta ; it 

 appears to be elongate oval, but with hardly any median constriction. 



