70 MEMOIRS NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. vol. xii, 



slightly curved broad diffuse brownish extradiscal line, fading out before reaching the apex; 

 patches of whitish gray along the inner edge. 



Hind wings with two slight excavations, one in the middle of the edge, and the other at 

 the inner edge ; the wings clear buff, of the same hue as the fore wings ; colored with pink along 

 the base of the subcostal vein. No discal spot; no lines, except the beginning on the hind edge 

 of a brownish line; inner edge white and with some reddish scales. Beneath as above. 

 Expanse of the fore wings, 3 48 mm.; 9 58 mm. 

 Length of a fore wing, 3 21 mm.; 9 28 mm. 

 Breadth of a fore wing, 3 10 mm.; $ 1S^ mm. 

 Length of a hind wing, 3 15 mm.; 9 20 mm. 

 Breadth of a hind wing, 3 10 mm.; 9 14 mm. 



This species differs from M. herilla in its much smaller size, the entire fore wings, which 

 are longer in proportion, with the outer edge more oblique; the hind wings are not ragged as 

 those of M. herilla. 



Like the other species M. cana is without lines or discal ocelli, and the buff yellow wings 

 are clear of the crowded reddish brown strigae and fine marks of the larger species. Like that 

 also, and the other small species of the genus from West Africa, the colors are those of dead 

 leaves, and appear to be with little doubt protectively mimetic, the moths living concealed 

 when at rest among dead and dry leaves. 



It may almost be taken for granted that moths colored like those without prominent brightly 

 colored lines and bars and without conspicuous and gaily painted ocelli, owe a certain degree 

 of immunity from the attacks of lizards and birds to their resemblance in color as well as perhaps 

 shape when at rest to the dead dry leaves among which they nestle. 



Geographical distribution. — So far as known confined to the southeast coast of Africa, one 

 specimen being reported from Delagoa Bay, Portuguese Possessions, south latitude 26°. 



MICRAGONE NENIA (Westwood). 



Saturnia nenia Westwood, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1849, p. 57, PI. IX, fig. 3. 

 Cyrtogone (?) nxnia Walker, Cat. Lep. Het. Brit. Mus., VI, p. 1344, 1855. 

 Cyrtogone nenia Kirby, Syn. Cat. Lep. Het., I, p. 856, 1892. 

 Micragone nenia Karsch, Ent. Nachrichten, XXII, p. 254, 1896. 



Imago. — One 3, one 9- Antennae of 3 with 19 to 20 sets of pectinations, the basal 

 and distal branches of the same length and very densely ciliated; tip filiform, consisting of 12 

 joints, with minute short tooth-like vestigial branches each ending in a cilium; 9 with longer 

 pectinations than in M. herilla. Palpi short, blunt, third joint not distinct, not reaching the 

 front. 



Fore wings very falcate; costa straight on the basal two-thirds and then suddenly bent 

 backwards, while the apex is square and broad; outer edge deeply excavated and scalloped, 

 the scallops not so ragged and irregular as in the 9 , in which the fore wings are wider and not 

 so falcate and concave; indeed in this species the outer edge in 9 is full, not concave at all, 

 though the edge is irregularly scalloped and ragged. 



Hind wings short and broad, much rounded at the apex; outer edge in 3 with three 

 scallops, deepening toward the middle of the outer edge; the inner angle somewhat squarish; 

 in 9 not quite reaching the end of the abdomen. 



Body and wings of 3 the color of a dead leaf, being light reddish brown with chestnut or 

 Vandyke brown patches and dusted with lilac scales, being nearly of the same general hue 

 as 9 of M. herilla. Fore wings with a fine narrow basal zigzag line bent outward in the discal 

 cell; no distinct extradiscal line. A large vandyke-brown patch on the outer half of the wing, 

 not reaching the costal region or the inner angle; between it and the costa on the outer third 

 are three slashes, the two larger ones dark brown, edged with red ocher. 



Westwood describes and figures "an ill-defined fulvous-buff patch in the middle of the 

 wing," but this is obsolete in the specimen before us. 



