170 THK EN'TOMOLOftlST's RECORD. 



probably to be found in the fact that O. fionontifpna much resents, 

 so Mr. Burrows tells me, domestication, and rapidly dwindles in size 

 and stamina, and its cocoon is not so well constructed as by Avild speci- 

 mens. Mr. Bacot tells me they will spin up in the corner of a breed- 

 ing cage, much like (J. antiqua. At large, however, the female o. 

 t/nno!sti;iina makes a very large and elaborate cocoon. It does not seek 

 a crack or hollow in something solid like O. antlqna, but prefers to 

 spin amongst the foodplant pulling together leaves. Sec, and making 

 a cocoon, of which the outside measure, including leaves, kc, might 

 be about that of a cricket-ball. The real outer cocoon is, of course, 

 not so large. Inside this is the inner cocoon or cocoon proper. The 

 important point as to (K rjonnstirinm is, that the female moth, on 

 emergence, takes her station on this inner cocoon, but within the 

 more or less elaborate outside loose cocoon. Mr. Burrows has not 

 told me anything definite, but it is obvious that, in spinning the 

 cocoon, the larva must have left a certain available space here, 

 without any silken threads connecting this portion of the true 

 cocoon with the outer network. It is easy to understand that a 

 weak larva might even leave this portion of the cocoon exposed, as in 

 (). antujua. The next point in Mr. Burrows' observations is still 

 more important and more interesting, both in itself and in the circum- 

 stance that I have not met with a record of it anywhere. This is, 

 that in visiting the female the male has to penetrate the outer cocoon, 

 and he has seen them, in doing so, have their wings folded together 

 longitudinally by the pressure of the silken mesh through which they 

 have to force their way. The outer cocoon favours the entrance of 

 the S by being provided with " structural holes, which are numerous 

 and of various sizes. This outer cocoon is closely woven, whitish, and, 

 I think, more or less irregular. I found the moths. In cop., on July 1st, 

 1886. The female sat on the inner cocoon. The male was so closely 

 squeezed inside the outer cocoon that his wings wera rolled up round 

 his body, and there was very little accommodation (Rev. C. R. N. 

 Burrows in litt.). Mr. Burrows is one of those acute observers who 

 are, nevertheless, too modest in publishing their observations. 1 have 

 to thank him sincerely for allowing me to unearth this one. 



The eggs are laid within the outer and on the inner cocoon, more 

 or less in a mass, and apparently somewhat separated by the wool of 

 the moth. 1 am not quite clear as to the details of this. 



This history of the habits of <). i/o)wsti;i)na is perhaps the most 

 interesting in the whole genus, because it makes very simple what 

 looked before an insoluble problem. How can such extraordinary 

 habits as those of (). aiooliitihata and <>. spUnulida be derived from 

 those of (K antiipia '? T put the (Question thus simply, but in doing 

 so, must explain that, of course, it is not necessary to suppose that 

 the original ancestor of (K .ydcuili'ld was (>. antifjKa, or even neces- 

 sarily very much like it. Still, it must have been so far like it that 

 there is probably nothing much nearer it, and, as we are familiar with 

 <K antiqaa, the slight inaccuracy in assuming it to represent the 

 ancestral On/i/ia is outweighed by the greater facility of expression. 

 (>. antiqiia lays her eggs on her cocoon, and they remain there all 

 winter; (K ipimDithjuia snnilarly lays her eggs on her cocoon, but they 

 hatch very soon, and it is, therefore, unnecessary for the larva to search 

 for a solid basis for her cocoon, and it is made, by preference, amongst 



