EUPTEROTID/E. 1 25 



elongated, with soft fine hairs. It is striped with bkie, red, and 

 yellow, and has a white dorsal line. The head is bluish-grey, 

 with two black dots. The larvae, which are gregarious, live 

 under a w^eb when young, and are often very destructive. 



FAMILY XXXIV. MEGALOPYGID^. 



This is a small family of American moths, which have a 

 general resemblance to the genus Cerura^ in the Notodo?itidcE, 

 having grey or whitish wings, with dark transverse lines. They 

 are, however, very distinct. The wings are broad and rounded, 

 and are clothed not only with scales, but towards the base, and 

 in lines on the wings, with long curled hairs. There are three 

 sub-median nervures on each wing, the two lower ones on the 

 fore-wings anastomosing a short distance from their base, and 

 then again separating. The bodies of these moths are very 

 hairy, and there is a very large terminal tuft of white or yellow 

 hair in the females. The cells are bisected by nervures, 

 especially on the hind-wings. The transformations are also 

 remarkable, the larvce having twenty legs, like those of some 

 saw-flies, the largest number in most Lepidopterous larvae being 

 sixteen, and the first two segments of the abdomen (except 

 in the Megalopygidcc and Micropterygidcc) destitute of pro-legs. 

 The cocoon of the Mcgalopygidcc is provided with a trap-door 

 at one end, another character which reminds us of the saw-flies. 



FAMILY XXXV. EUPTERO'IID.E. 



Under this name Sir George Hampson has separated a 

 number of moths formerly included in the Lasiocaiupidiv.^ but 

 distinguished by the possession of a frenulum. Hie palpi are 

 short and hairy, the middle tibia) are usually armed with one 

 pair of spurs, and the hind tibiae; with two. The wings arc 



