Insecta. 281 



This paper deals with a number of species in Britain and in New Zealand, 

 in which the 5 is apterous or semi-apterous and incapable of flight, while the c? 

 has the wings fully-developed. The Psychidae, in which the $ are incapable of 

 Walking as well as of flight, are not considered, but only species in which the $ 

 are normally developed in all respects except as regards the wings. A list is 

 given of 8 New Zealand and 14 British species, with notes on the food-plants, 

 habits, time of appearance, etc. of each. There is a remarkable agreement bet- 

 ween the New Zealand and the British species in two respects: (I) the food- 

 plant is generally distributed within the region where the species is found; this 

 seems a necessity for the continuance of the species, for ? incapable of flight 

 would be unable to travel long distances in search of the larval food-plant. (II) 

 With very few exceptions all the species (in both countries) appear in the winter- 

 months. In this latter fact the writer seeks an explanation of the flightless con- 

 dition of the ?: it may be a provision against their wandering far from the larval 

 food-plant, and being unable to return to it and deposit their eggs: for if they 

 did wander far they might easily be overcome and rendered torpid by the cold, 

 a fate which often overtakes insects in cold weather. On the other hand it is 

 advantageous for the d to retain the power of flight, so that they can seek out 

 $ at a distance and thereby too close interbreeding may be prevented. It might 

 be thought that the flightlessness of the 5 is simply due to the lowered vita- 

 lity (caused by the cold) preventiug füll development of the wings: but against 

 this must be set the fully-winged condition of the J', and the existence of many 

 winter insects with fully-developed wings in both sexes. It is remarked that 2 

 species of Tipula common in New Zealand [T. obscuripemiis and T. Jietcrogama), 

 both of which have semi-apterous 5, also both appear in the winter. The extreme 

 abundance of some of the species of Lepidoptera with flightless $, tends to show 

 that the condition is not a disadvantageous one in the struggle for existence. 



H. Scott (Cambridge). 



920) Richter, C, Über ein Modell des Verdauungskanals der Schmetterlinge. 

 In: Aus der Natur, S. 204—206, 2 Abb., 1912. 



9'21) Petkow, P., Bestimmung der Konturen-Variabilität bei Schmet- 

 terlingsflügeln [lleTKOBt, U,, OiipiA'fc.iaHe KOHTypHHTi Bapnai],nH na 

 Kpn.'iaTa y iionepyAHTi. — Tpy;!,OBe na Bi>.iirapcKOTO npHpo;i,OH3u. jl,py.JK.]. In: 

 Arb. Bulgar. Naturforsch.-Gesellsch.. V, S. 142—151, Sophia 1912. 



Bei seinen Untersuchungen über die Variabilität von Melamarf/ia galafea L., 

 Colias edusa F., Aporia cratargi L. usw. fand der Verf., daß die Umrisse der 

 Vorder- und Hinterflügel bei diesen Arten verschieden stark variieren. Zur Be- 

 stimmung der Variabilität benutzt er vier Quadranten, welche in kleine nume- 

 rierte Quadranten eingeteilt sind. Die Flügelwurzel wird im Schnittpunkte der 

 Seiten dieser Quadranten und dem entferntesten Punkt des Flügels auf der Hal- 

 bierungslinie eines der Quadranten angebracht. Bachmetjew (Sophia). 



922) Manders, N., The value of protective resemblance in moths. In: 

 Ent. Record and Journ. Variat., Bd. XXIV, Hefte 7 and 8, S. 174—176, 1912. 



923) Stiff, A. T., The value of protective resemblance in moths. Ibid., 

 Heft 11, S. 262—265, 1912. 



In the course of remarks on the edibility of moths by birds, the writer 

 mentions some of his experiences in Ceylon. In 1901 — 1902 a prison-camp at 

 an elevation of 4000 feet was surrounded by large and powerful electric arc- 

 lamps. These did not attract any large number of moths except in late October 



