258 THE entobiologist's record. 



area of tlie 1st aud 2nd. abdominal segments ; by 2 p.m. the whole 

 alxlomen had become dark, but not so dai'k as the thorax ; at 9 a.m. on 

 May 9th, the pupa was of a uniform l)lue-black tint all over. Tlie 

 imago emerged on the following morning (May 10th), and the pupa- 

 case then resumed its pale tint. The dark tint was thus shown to be 

 due, not to any change in the pujja-case, but to tlie pigment of the 

 contained imago being seen through it. The development of the pig- 

 ment evidently took place from before l)ackwards ; its entire production 

 occujjied less than 21 hours, and only commenced aliout 48 hours before 

 the imago emerged. Although both larvae pupated on the same day 

 (July 23rd, 1894) and in immediate juxtaposition on the same leaf, so 

 that the two pupjB had throughout been exposed to absolutelj^ identical 

 conditions, one imago ( ? ), emerged on May 1st, the other (S), on 

 May lOth.— F. J. Buckell, M.B., 32, Canonbury Square. 3Iay V2th, 

 1895. 



On a vniforjM terminal for Sitek-family KA3IES. — Originating, 

 I believe, in America, the practice has spread to this country, of apply- 

 ing the term " Super-family " to those large groups (No<jtu.e,Geometr.tj, 

 etc.), which roughly correspond with the sub-divisions which Linnaeus 

 established of his genus Phalaeiia. The term seems one worthy of per- 

 petuation, indicating as it does the assemblage of families ; but it would be 

 very advantageous to adopt a uniform terminal to designate the Super- 

 family. The names at present in ordinary use are simply the plurals of 

 some genus in the group, so that it may sometimes be diflicult to deter- 

 mine when, for example, one comes npon the name " Noctua?," whether 

 the reference is to the larger group, or only to the genus. By some 

 authors, the terminal ina, has been vised ; this resembles the long-estab- 

 lished Sub-family terminal inae, too closely to be desirable and, moreover, 

 it offends against the canon that all names of groups larger than the 

 o-enus should be in the plural number. Others, both in this country 

 and America, seem disposed to transfer to the Super-family, the Family 

 terminal idae. To do this would lie to make a wliolly unnecessary 

 disturbance of nomenclature, and seeing that the terminal idae has 

 marked the family at least from the time of Swainson (1827), it seems 

 a pity to dislocate it. I would venture to suggest that the terminal 

 ides should be adopted for the Super-family names and that we should 

 write SniiNGiDES, Noctuides, Geometrides, etc. — F. J. Buckell, M.B., 

 32, Canonbury Square. Mai/ ICjth, 1895. 



•^S" 



URRENT NOTES. 



We have received from Messrs. Watkins and Doucaster a samiile of 

 the Polyporous tablets now being used liy many well-known 

 lepidopterists, hymenopterists and dipterists, for mounting minute 

 species. It takes readily the very finest pins, and will be of the 

 greatest use to those who collect the very small species and have to 

 move them somewhat frequently. It is preferable to pith, which has 

 been used for some time by both British and Continental entomologists. 

 It is sold at 2s. 6d. per ounce. 



Mr. G. C. Bignell gives (EJLM., June) an interesting illustration 

 of the way in which foreign importations may be supposed to be 

 British. In walking through Caunwood he jiicked a handful of dried 



