282 THE entomolooist's record. 



definitely of trumpet oi- calyx form, at their bases of origin about 

 O-0O5mm.-O-OO7nim. wide, and spreading out at the top to a fimbriated 

 or spiculated circular margin 0'02mm.-0'03mm. across, the central 

 opening apparently reaching quite to the base. These bases are the 

 ordinary raised rings, with circles of articulation in the centre, 

 found at the bases of all ordinary tubercular or skin-hairs ; they are, 

 however, very small (0"02mm. across), not wider than about three skin- 

 points. 



The photograph here reproduced to show them is by Mr. F. N. 

 Clark. I know he is not very well satisfied with it, as the whole 

 preparation from which it is taken is so transparent that one can hardly 

 see it on the slide, and the difficulties of getting a good photograph 

 of such an object are almost insuperable. I think, therefore, myself, 

 that, however much the preparation may be unsatisfactory, the photo- 

 graph is rather a triumph than a failure. I have, however, to apologise 

 to Mr. Clark for having taken a liberty with his photograph, and touched 

 up the outlines of the hairs, as these were so faintly paler than the 

 ground colour that I feared they would disappear in the process of 

 making the block, etc. 



In the centre of the figure is a lenticle, rather larger than the hair 

 bases, r/c, 0-025mm. in diameter, a dark chitinous ring filled with 

 an apparently structureless membrane. The trumpet-hairs would 

 naturally, of course, stand upright on the skin-surface, but are pressed 

 down flat by the cover glass. The fact that the outlines are touched 

 up must be accepted as giving them a rather diagrammatic significance, 

 but certainly, in the result, a better idea of their appearance is conveyed, 

 though their detailed structure, if shown more clearly, is less to be 

 relied on than in the original photograph. It must be admitted, hoAV- 

 ever, that these structures are so transparent that, even in the preparation 

 itself, the precise structure of the hairs is less easily observed than is 

 desirable. The small dots are the skin-points, a little indistinct in 

 outline, possibly from the difficulties incident to securing any result 

 in so transparent an object, and the further obscurity in the process of 

 forming the block. The figure, however, does give a fairly good idea 

 of the formation both of skin-points, hairs, and lenticle. The magnifi- 

 cation is 200 diameters. 



Hybrid Lepidoptera. 



By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S. 



Many years ago the chance pairing of two distinct species, and the 

 production of hybrid progeny, was looked upon as a wonderful 

 occurrence by lepidopterists. Of recent years, several experimenters, 

 of whom Standfuss is easily first, have carried out many detailed 

 experiments in this direction, with a view of determining certain 

 heredity problems, sex influence, etc., as exhibited in the progeny. 

 A few entomologists, still in love with the unusual and bizarre, simply 

 because they are so, have ofl'ered comparatively large sums of money 

 in order merely to possess examples of hybrids, and hence there has 

 recently been a considerable extension of the practice of hybrid 

 breeding, and many broods of hybrids have been reared by which 

 science has benefited practically nothing, although the material 

 carefully studied might have helped to have unravelled many knotty 



