﻿64 
  

  

  ties, 
  including 
  some 
  " 
  dusky 
  " 
  forms 
  from 
  Stony 
  Stratford, 
  Bucks. 
  

   Among 
  the 
  more 
  remarkable 
  aberrations 
  were 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  pinkish 
  

   ground 
  colour 
  with 
  the 
  transverse 
  band 
  complete, 
  broad, 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  

   deep 
  red 
  colour, 
  it 
  was 
  taken 
  at 
  St. 
  John's 
  Wood, 
  and 
  two 
  other 
  

   very 
  similar 
  bred 
  specimens, 
  the 
  one 
  of 
  Cambridgeshire 
  and 
  the 
  

   other 
  of 
  Kentish 
  origin, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  bands 
  were 
  broken. 
  Also 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  more 
  normally 
  coloured 
  specimens, 
  showing 
  many 
  

   modifications 
  of 
  the 
  transverse 
  band, 
  it 
  bemg 
  in 
  the 
  one 
  extreme 
  

   reduced 
  to 
  an 
  almost 
  imperceptible 
  dot 
  on 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  wings, 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  extreme 
  broad 
  and 
  complete 
  entirely 
  across 
  the 
  

   wings. 
  The 
  series 
  also 
  included 
  a 
  gynandromorphous 
  example. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Sperring 
  then 
  read 
  — 
  

  

  Notes 
  on 
  Mimas 
  tili^. 
  — 
  " 
  This 
  insect 
  was 
  first 
  described 
  by 
  

   Linne 
  in 
  1758 
  as 
  Sphin.i; 
  tilicE, 
  the 
  type 
  being 
  described 
  as 
  reddish 
  

   grey 
  or 
  red, 
  strongly 
  tinted 
  with 
  green, 
  with 
  complete 
  transverse 
  

   median 
  band. 
  This 
  description, 
  however, 
  will 
  not 
  apply 
  to 
  more 
  

   than 
  two 
  per 
  cent., 
  because 
  very 
  few 
  specimens 
  of 
  tilia. 
  of 
  the 
  red- 
  

   grey 
  or 
  red-brown 
  form 
  have 
  the 
  complete 
  transverse 
  band. 
  In 
  a 
  

   later 
  edition 
  Linne 
  re-describes 
  it 
  as 
  ' 
  subfasciatis,' 
  i.e., 
  with 
  the 
  

   broken 
  band, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  insect 
  known 
  as 
  ab. 
  viaculata, 
  and 
  so 
  

   named 
  by 
  Wallengren, 
  to 
  which 
  reference 
  will 
  be 
  made 
  later. 
  The 
  

   generic 
  title 
  of 
  Sphinx 
  was 
  retained 
  by 
  Fabricius 
  in 
  1775, 
  but 
  in 
  

   1805 
  Latreille 
  placed 
  tilio) 
  under 
  the 
  genus 
  Smerinthus, 
  together 
  

   with 
  ocellata 
  and 
  popidi. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  1807 
  it 
  was 
  restored 
  to 
  Sphinx 
  tilia; 
  by 
  Fabricius, 
  but 
  in 
  1816 
  

   Dalman, 
  in 
  dividing 
  up 
  the 
  Sphingid 
  Group, 
  placed 
  tilia 
  under 
  

   Dilina, 
  making 
  ocellata 
  the 
  type. 
  His 
  original 
  description, 
  however, 
  

   shows 
  that 
  Dilina 
  is 
  really 
  a 
  diagnosis 
  of 
  our 
  family 
  Anwrphida. 
  

   The 
  genus 
  Mimas 
  was 
  eliminated 
  from 
  the 
  remaining 
  Amorphidce 
  by 
  

   Hiibner, 
  in 
  1822. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  question 
  of 
  this 
  nomenclature 
  was 
  very 
  carefully 
  worked 
  

   out 
  by 
  Tutt 
  in 
  his 
  " 
  British 
  Lepidoptera," 
  vol. 
  iii., 
  where 
  he 
  sum- 
  

   marises 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  this 
  vexed 
  question 
  of 
  synonomy, 
  fixing 
  the 
  

   type 
  of 
  Sphinx 
  ligustri, 
  as 
  named 
  by 
  Linne 
  in 
  1758, 
  and 
  Mimas- 
  

   tilice 
  as 
  fixed 
  by 
  Hiibner 
  in 
  1822. 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  have 
  mentioned 
  the 
  above 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  frequently 
  thought 
  

   that 
  the 
  name 
  Mimas 
  tilia; 
  is 
  extremely 
  modern, 
  the 
  insect 
  to-day 
  

   being 
  frequently 
  known 
  as 
  Sphinx 
  tilia 
  ; 
  Mimas, 
  however, 
  dates 
  back 
  

   to 
  1822. 
  

  

  " 
  Ova. 
  — 
  Egg-shaped 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  flat 
  type. 
  Laid 
  on 
  the 
  flat 
  side, 
  

   covered 
  with 
  a 
  rubber-like 
  gum 
  and 
  pale 
  green 
  in 
  colour, 
  slightly 
  

   below 
  2mm. 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  from 
  l-35mm. 
  to 
  l-55mm. 
  in 
  width. 
  

  

  