LIFE-HISTORY OF LIPHYRA BRA.SSOLIS. 185 



These white scales tly off after expansion of wings at the least 

 breath of air ; they are blown away much more easily than the 

 scales on our clearwinged hawks {Hemaris kingii, hylas, and 

 janus). A stroke or two of the insect's wings detaches everyone 

 in a cloud ; therefore it is a difficult matter to kill and set 

 specimens and leave a fair proportion of these scales. Tbe 

 matter on the abdomen is of coarse also composed of scales ; 

 they are dark grey, packed very densely, and cover about half 

 of ventral surface, reach further along the sides, but do not 

 reach the thorax, none being on the upper surface. These are 

 much more adhesive, and must be scraped away, as they cannot 

 be blown oi3^; they come away in masses, and fasten lightly to 

 anything they come in contact with, and appear to be held 

 together. Upon examining them with a lens, exceedingly delicate 

 threads can be discerned dispersed throughout. The legs and 

 antennae are also clothed with minute and easily detachable 

 white scales. 



The insect requires longer than the largest Australian moths 

 to pump its wings to their full length. The wings of even the 

 gigantic Zeuzeridae attain their full proportions in fifteen or 

 twenty minutes, and I have seen a five-inch hepialid expand the 

 wings in seven minutes ; but our butterfly requires twenty-five 

 to thirty minutes, and instead of being prepared for flight in a 

 little over an hour, like the Antheraea and many other large 

 moths, is quite helpless for a much longer period, and none of 

 my specimens exhibited the least desire to fly in three or even 

 four hours. The great Oniithoptera cassandra flies in a com- 

 paratively short time. 



The butterflies are very oily; in some instances grease came 

 through abdomen in less than a week after setting. A thick 

 layer of almost liquid grease lines the abdomen, so it was 

 necessary to resort to stuffing the insects ; unfortunately this 

 operation causes displacement of the extra scales to some extent, 

 especially in the male. 



As to the butterfly being crepuscular in its habits, I may 

 mention that I am frequently out in the twilight, but have not 

 met with it ; that may be on account of its rarity. However, 

 they are decidedly wideawake in the daytime. I have captured 

 several which I had disturbed as any ordinary butterfly would be 

 disturbed. Several times they have flown from near ant-nests 

 which I was about to examine ; one specimen was seen flying 

 across an open space in the early afternoon, and had evidently 

 come from a fair distance, as there were no green ants in the 

 vicinity. Many years ago I caught my first specimen, a female, 

 on a hot summer day about eleven o'clock. It flew rapidly 

 across a scrub and settled on a branch under the foliage, 

 precisely as the egg-depositing female did which I observed in 

 July, 1900. 



