274 THE entomologist's record. 



like any other species I am acquainted with, but is more 

 Bomhycid than Noduid. The imago has a very^ different facies, 

 and has quite a different proboscis ; the cocoon, and in some 

 degree the moth, are more suggestive of Cerura than of Noctua. 

 I do not know on what characters it is placed among the 

 Noctua or near the Acronydas. 



The only ground for placing certain species amongst the 

 Noctua would appear to be the sculpturing of the egg, which 

 is unquestionably of the pattern nowhere common except 

 amongst the Noctua, such species are D. coendeocephala, D. 

 coryli, Panthea ccenohita, Diphthera hidifica, Pdasia cassinea, and 

 P. nuhecidosa. The Nydeolidce have, however, never been 

 placed amongst the Noctua, yet have a very Noduid Qggt 

 and one that in flatness even exceeds that oiAcronyda. Coryli, 

 ccenohita and ludifica are certainly very close to, if not in, the 

 LiparidcB, in which group we already have a very great varia- 

 tion in the characters of the ova : — Orgyia antiqna and Dasychira 

 pudihunda with a hard smooth egg, not unlike a Notodont, 

 except the flattening or hollow at the micropyle ; Leucoma 

 sniicis with eggs glued together in a spumous material ; Liparis 

 monacha with quite a delicate egg, smooth, but with traces of 

 sculpturing not very remote from the Noduid character oi ludifica. 



When we look for the nearer relatives of the Acronydas, the 

 best guides we can take are probably to search for species 

 presenting any of the peculiar characters of Acronyda, e.g., 

 the peculiar flattened egg of Noctua sculpturing, and with from 

 40 to 80 ribs, and tending to markings in circles of pale 

 blotches on a chocolate ground ; the young larva with pale 

 and dark segments, the nth always being pale and "weak" 

 and the imago of a special facies, and with the approximating 

 veins at the anal angle of the anterior wings. 



The eggs of Nydeolidce and of D. coendeocephala resemble 

 Acronycta in form, but the sculpturing suggests that .this is 

 merely an accidental resemblance. Again the larva of Rivula 

 sericealis has "weak" nth and 5th segments when newly 

 hatched, but I do not think this species has any other character 

 suggesting alliance with Acronycta. 



When we come to the Liparidce we find a considerable 

 resemblance in the adult larvae. We find also in Liparidce 

 newly hatched larvas with "weak " segments. I have not met 

 with one with the nth segment weak. On PL IX., fig. 8 

 represents the newly hatched larva of O. pudibunda, in which 

 the " weak " segments are 3.4.9. I think this probably is 



