240 THE entomologist's recced. 



The male Gipsy moth is extremely excitable, and flies wildly in a 

 zigzagging manner during the day in jirecisely the same way as its 

 humbler relative Oryyia antiqiui, which, in many ways, it closely re- 

 sembles. The female, on the contrary, is very lethargic, usually sitting 

 quietly within a few inches of the pupa shell from which she has 

 emerged. In one of the Keports above referred to the following re- 

 mark occurs: " The female does not fly, except diagonally downwards." 

 Those which I have bred did not seem to fly at all, but they occasion- 

 ally fluttered about in the box in a manner remarkably like that of the 

 female Silkworm moth. It is probable that in a state of nature the 

 female flies late at night. 



The males, in common with those of the other species in the family 

 Liparidce, " assemble " very freely. In connection with this I tried an 

 experiment with the present species in my sitting-room, which is about 

 1 1 feet square. One day I found that three females had emerged in 

 my l)ox, and I put them close together on the mantel-board, and let a 

 small male loose in the room. The window and the door were wide 

 open, but he made no attempt to escape, and it was very interesting to 

 observe the steady business-like Avay in which he searched about, care- 

 fully investigating the corners of the floor and the ceiling, and working 

 up and down the Avails. The whole proceeding was in most striking 

 contrast to the wild zigzagging flight above referred to. It took him 

 about half an hour to find the females ; I suppose this was because 

 there was no breeze to assist him in localizing their position. I paid 

 a brief visit to the Natural History Museum some time ago, for the 

 purpose of looking up this species and its foreign allies, and was much 

 struck with the very great similarity which man 3^ of the latter bear to 

 0. dispar and Psilura monacha, several of them forming connecting links 

 between the two. For instance, the male of Enome incerta — an Indian 

 species — has Avings almost identical with those of 0. dispar in colour 

 and marking, but it has a pink body like that of P. monacha. E. 

 japonica (from Japan) is simply a larger edition of 0. dispar, except 

 that the female is more suffused Avith broAvn, and has only the V-shaped 

 mark distinct. E. umhrosa — likewise a native of Japan — is also, in 

 api^earance, very closely related to dispar. The scourge of Massachu- 

 setts is figured in the Eeports on the table, and seems to be A'ery near 

 to the ordinary forms which we noAv breed, Avhich I sujjpose are 

 Continental. 



In conclusion, I regret that I haA^e not any foreign tj^pes to sIioav 

 you, but I desire to thank those members avIio have brought their series 

 here this CA'ening to help to illustrate the paper. If I may A-enture to 

 suggest some points for discussion, I think these tAvo may be productive 

 of some interesting opinions: — Why did Ocneria dhpjar become ex- 

 tinct in this country ? and. Why are the wings of the female so Avell 

 developed, supposing that they are not used for flight ? 



Photography is making entomologists more closely knoAvn to each 

 other. In the Entomological News for September, 1894, is a photo of 

 tAventy-scA'en American entomologists, including some Avell-knoAvn 

 names. We are also indebted to Mr. Capper for a photograph of many 

 valued correspondents, Avho make Liverpool their entomological home, 

 and look u]) to the respected President of the Lancashire and Cheshire 

 Society as their entomological jKirent. The latter photograph Avill be 

 reproduced in an early number of The Entomologist'' s Record. 



