178 LEPIDOPTERA. 



each ; the body and part of the base of the fore wings are red, 

 and the usual transverse stripes are white, bordered with red. 

 It is not an uncommon insect, and gloves and stockings were made 

 of its silk a century ago ; but these experiments have not been 

 continued in recent years. 



The African genus Buncea, Hiibn., has rather long fore wings, 

 which are marked with a square transparent spot. This leads us 

 on to the genus Anthercea, Hiibn., a genus with moderately long and 

 often rather falcate fore wings ; it is found in Africa, the East 

 Indies, and Australia. Several of the Indian species are used to 

 produce silk, especially A. Mylitta, Drury, which has a large round 

 transparent spot in the middle of each wing. The male is reddish 

 fawn-colour, and the female yellow ; each wing is crossed by a 

 white pink-bordered stripe. It measures five or six inches in 

 expanse of wing. 



The genus Tropcea, Hiibn., includes green or yellowish tawny 

 species, which are met with in Spain, the East Indies, Africa, and 

 North America. All these species have shorter or longer tails ; 

 but some of the West African and South American species of the 

 genus Eudcemoiiia, Hiibn., have longer tails than any other Lejji- 

 dopterous insects, sometimes fully twice as long as the expanse 

 of the fore wings. Tropcea Isabellce, Graell., is found in Spain. 



The only British species of this family is Satiirnia Pavonia- 

 Minor, Linn., the Emperor Moth. The male has brown fore 

 wings, and yellowish hind wings ; and the female is grey ; the 

 borders are brown and white, and the wings are traversed with 

 several white lines ; in the middle of each wing is a large black 

 eye. Its green, pink-spotted larva is common on heath. The 

 moth measures two and a quarter inches across the wings ; but 

 there is a South European species, S. Pavonia-3fajor, Linn., very 

 similar to this, but much darker, which is nearly twice as large ; its 

 larva feeds on fruit-trees, etc. 



Hyperchiria, Hixhn., is a very extensive genus, which is confined 

 to America. The species are generally brown or yellow, and are 

 of moderate size, seldom exceeding two or three inches in expanse. 

 Most of them have a large oval eye on the hind wings, which is 

 sometimes so large as to fill up a considerable portion of the wing. 

 This eye is generally black, and is often marked with blue or 

 white ; it sometimes contains two or three smaller blue spots. 



Heniileuca Maia, Drury, is a North American species, about the 

 size of our Emperor Moth. It is black, with a broad white band 



