MOTHS. 171 



iire bright red. The hind wings are generally marked with a large 

 white blotch at or beyond the middle. The species are all East 

 Indian. 



Family III. — Zygmnidce. 



Antennae more or less thickened beyond the middle ; sometimes 

 pectinated ; wings long and narrow, always extending beyond the 

 abdomen when closed, though the abdomen generally reaches far 

 beyond the hind wings when the wings are expanded ; flight diurnal. 



This extensive family includes the small brightly-coloured day- 

 flying moths known as Burnets and Green Foresters. It may be 

 divided into several sub-families, but we will confine ourselves 

 here to noticing a few of the more representative genera. 



The Green Foresters belong to the genus Procris, Fabr., and 

 are most abundant in South Europe. In nearly all the species the 

 fore wings are green and the hind wings brown, and they are not 

 easily distinguished from one another. They are generally harm- 

 less, but P. Ampelophaga, Bayle, is destructive to the vine in South 

 Europe. 



The Burnet Moths (Zygcena, Fabr.) have greenish -brown 

 fore wings variously spotted or streaked with red, and red hind 

 wings. They are very numerous in South Europe, but only six 

 species are known to occur in Britain. One of these, Z. Minos, 

 W. v., is streaked, and the others are marked with five or six 

 spots. Several other European species have been recorded as 

 British, but on unsatisfactory evidence. Z. Angelicce, Ochs., is 

 a large variety of our common Six-spot Burnet {Z. Filipendulce, 

 Linn.), which is met with south of the Alps. 



Syntomis, Hiibn., is an extensive genus common in Asia and 

 Africa, and with one or two representatives in Europe ; the species 

 may be known by their belted bodies and dark wings with trans- 

 parent spots. S. Lafreillei, Boisd,, a common East Indian species, 

 is black, with a large yellow spot in the middle of the thorax, and 

 a smaller one at the base of each wing ; the wings are marked 

 with large transparent spots, and the abdomen is belted with white. 



Many beautiful species of this family are met with in foreign 

 countries, among which we may mention those of the genus 

 EiLchromice, Hiibn., which abound in India and Africa. The wings 

 are black, spotted with yellow, and the abdomen is variously 

 belted with blue, green, red, or yellow, according to the species. 

 E. Formosa, Boisd., is not uncommon in Madagascar. 



