1866. 165 
Note on two forms of Mesene hitherto considered to he sexes of one species. — lu 
the " Genera of Diurual Lepidoptera," p. 442, n. 1, it will be seen that the Papilio 
Bomilcar of Stone (Cramer SuppL, pi. xxxix., f. 3) is considered to bo the female of 
Hiesene Phareus, of Fabricias (Mant. Ins. ii, p. 79, n. 722). 
A comparison of the figures of these two insects with the specimens in the 
British Museum Collection has satisfied me that this is not the case, inasmuch as 
our specimens of the true Phareus, as figured by Cramer (Pap. Exot., pi. clxx, f. C), 
are all males ; and the only specimen of the true Bomilcar in the collection, is, 
without doubt, also a male insect ; therefore, though Mesene Bomilcar may be a 
local form of Fabricius' species, it is very clear it cannot be its male. 
Although we do not possess females exactly corresponding to Phareus proper, 
there are in the collection four specimens of what I take to be a slight variety of 
that species : two of these are males, and diS'er from the typical form in being 
slightly smaller, with a narrower black margin above, and having the internal red 
streak on the under-side of the front-wings continued upwards towards the apex of 
the wing ; the two other specimens are females, their wings are shorter and rather 
more convex than those of the males, and the under-side of the front wings shows 
the red colour to the same extent as on the upper-side : all our specimens of 
Phareus, and of this variety, are from Para. 
In addition to these, there are two pairs of a larger form, with broader black 
margins, from Tapayos ; and our specimen of M. Bomilcar is also from this locality. 
— A. G. BuTLEK, Zoological Department, British Museum. 
On the injury done to collections hy Psoci. — In the " Entomologists' Annual " 
for 1861 (p. 19) I said that, according to my observations, the Psocidce {Atropos) 
did little or no damage to collections. In the preface Mr. Stainton said that 
experience in England proved quite the contrary. Now I have gained this experi- 
ence at my expense, for having received a series of American Ephemeridce on short 
English pins, I have found that Atropos caused considerable damage to them, while 
all others on long pins were not attacked. I was thus very much in favour of 
German pins, but have been disabused on this point, for having taken Dragon-flies^ 
and left them on the table during the night, T found them completely eaten by mice. 
Apparently one should have still longer pins in order to avoid these animals ! — 
H. A. Hagen, Konigsberg, 24th October, 1866. 
[_Note. — Without doubt insects pinned in the Continental fashion are not liable 
to the attacks oi Atropos, and require less care generally for their safe preservation, 
I believe it would be useless to try and induce English entomologists to adopt this 
method, but I will add that, without using long pins, if the insects be so set that no 
portion of them touch the paper, they enjoy almost the same immunity as those 
high up on long pins. I have found, however, to my cost, that Continental and 
exotic insects snS'er greatly from the larva of Anthrenus, an enemy far more for- 
midable than Atropos ; but this is an efi"ect more of climatic conditions than of 
fashion. To avoid mice one must use long pins indeed ! Apropos of mice I will 
relate an anecdote. A friend, on a collecting expedition in Scotland, had captured 
a rare dragon-fly for me, and after setting it carefully, left it exposed in the room 
during the night. Being aroused by a noise, he saw a kitten eating the insect with 
much appai-ent enjoyment. Had the mice disappointed her of a meal, and so 
