( 47 ) 



(Actias selene), green with a dark bordered whitisli circle in the 

 centre of each wing and with long swallow-tailed hind wings ; 

 the Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas), deep chocolate with oblique trans- 

 lucent windows in each wing ; the Tussur Silk Moth {Anthercea ' 

 pajjJiia), rich yellow with a transparent round window in each 

 wing. The Bombycidse and Eupterotidae complete this side of the 

 case. The other side contains the Sphingidse, which include 

 among many species the Death's Head Moths of the genus AcJie- 

 rontia, the caterpillars of which stridulate, uttering a clicking 

 sound by rubbing their jaws together ; and the Clear- wing Moths 

 {Geplionodes hi/las), which sometimes become a pest in cultivated 

 districts. All the caterpillars of this family are provided with a 

 horn-like appendage on the back near the end of the abdomen. 



Case III. opens with the N otodontidse and closes with the Arctiidae. 

 The Syntomidse, which follow the Notodontidse, include some 

 very common species, while the Zygaenidse bear the appearance of 

 butterflies, which they further resemble by their habit of flying 

 about during the day. 



Case IV. continues the Arctiidse and commences the extensive 

 familyof the Noctuidae, the latter being continued in Case V., which 

 contains several handsome moths, e.g., Phyllodes consobrina with 

 leaf-shaped forewings, and Ophideres salaminia, which seems to 

 mimic a Sphingid moth. 



Case VI. contains Uraniidse, Epiplemidae, Geometridae, and the 

 commencement of the Pyralidae or shining moths. Case VII. con- 

 tinues the Pyralidae and concludes with a few Microlepidoptera 

 of the family Tineidae. On the other side of this case are shown 

 some dragon-flies (Neuroptera). 



Finally, Cases IX. and X., placed alongside in the central space, 

 are devoted to the butterflies, which include a fine series of the Leaf 

 Butterfly, Kallima philarchus. 



In addition to the exhibited Lepidoptera the Museum possesses 

 a large duplicate students' collection containing many rare species 

 not shown in the cases. This may be inspected on application. 

 There are, on the other hand, many moths recorded from Ceylon 

 which have not yet found their way to the Museum collection. 



The other orders of the insects of Ceylon have not been worked 

 out so thoroughly as the Lepidoptera. They are represented in the 

 table cases near the west end of the gallery, and are subject to 

 re-arrangement. Orthoptera (locusts, stick insects, cockroaches, 

 and mantids) andCoccidae (mealy bugs) are shown in Cases XV. and 

 XVI ; Coleoptera in Case XVII. ; Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and 

 wasps), with a couple of black flies mimicking a wasp and a bee 

 respectively, in Case XVII I. 



