OF WASHINGTON. 313 



anal opening. Almost meeting the tip of these lobes is a pair of 

 lateral pieces bent from the under side so, when these are approx 

 imated, the inner structures are entirely concealed (PI. VI, fig. 3). 

 If these corneous structures are dissected out, cleared of scales 

 and viewed laterally, the inferior side pieces are found to arise 

 from the same base as the superior triangular process. Covered 

 by these structures is a corneous portion furrowed into transverse 

 ridges. The ovipositor opens below this ridged surface and does 

 not appear in PL V, fig. 4, which illustrates this structure from 

 the side. No other Noctuid genus studied by me shows any 

 similar structure ; hence Nonagria stands well by itself. 



As to the use of this peculiar structure, Dr. Kellicott speaks as 

 follows : " By means of this apparatus the eggs are placed for the 

 winter. They are arranged, one after another, varying in number 

 from a few to a hundred or more, in a tube formed by rolling 

 over the margin of a withered dry leaf of the food plant. It 

 appears that as the eggs are extruded and placed a little way back 

 from the margin (about one-third the width), the same is then 

 folded over the eggs and firmly cemented down, thus forming and 

 filling the tube. The eggs thus covered with the leaf and cement 

 appear to pass the winter under the snow, and more or less under 

 water, unharmed. 



u I have not been so fortunate as to see the moth in the act of 

 oviposition, although a number were kept for many days with 

 Typha in an aquarium. I found from time to time many of the 

 eggs, but visits paid by day or by night failed to discover the 

 manner of the work." 



The species differ somewhat in the details of this structure ; 

 but this belongs rather to the discussion under the specific 

 descriptions. 



Eight species have been described from our fauna, three of them 

 by Guenee, whose types I have seen in the British Museum. Two 

 of the species enervata and fodiens were seen in 1891 and 

 were found not properly referred to this genus ; the third, inqui- 

 nata, I saw in 1900, and this also is improperly in Nonagria. 

 It is a Tapinostola, and probably variana Morr. The relation 

 of our described species is not settled and the specific reference 

 is not definitely made for that reason. 



This leaves five nominal species, of which I have seen the types 

 of the three described by Mr. Grote. Dr. Kellicott's species I have 

 in specimens identified by himself and out of his type lot. Lceta 

 Morr., I have been unible to trace and have not seen the type. 

 I have suspected a European species, but can find nothing to 

 which the description fits. Mr. Grote described what he identi 

 fied as the cT of Iceta, but intimates a doubt as to whether he 

 really had Mr. Morrison's species. I have seen the specimens 

 in the Thaxter collection, now in the Museum of Comparative 



