THE LACKEY. lOJ 



sub-families and three tribes. The whole are embraced in a 

 super-family styled Lachneides. Lasiocampidae disappears as a 

 family name, but the genus Lasiocampa is retained for gi/crats, 

 L., whilst trifolii^ SchitT., is referred to \\\^]^t.XiW's, Pachygastj-ia^ 

 Hb., and these \\\X\\Aurivinia^ Tutt, not represented in Britain, 

 constitute the Pachygastriidi tribe of the Pachygastriina^, a 

 sub-family of Lachneidi"e. All this will no doubt appear very 

 complicated to the beginner, but he need not worry himself 

 very greatly about the matter at present. When he feels that 

 he has a fair knowledge of the species in the group he will be 

 in a position to grapple with the niceties of classification. 



The Lackey {Mai aco soma neustria). 



The colour of the male ranges from pale yellow ochre, 

 through pale brown to reddish or dark brown ; and in the 

 female from pale brown to reddish brown ; two cross lines 

 are generally present on the fore wings ; the space between 

 the lines is usually darker in the female, and sometimes in the 

 male also, forming a dark central band. All these colour 

 forms were reared from some caterpillars taken by myself at 

 Byfleet, Surrey, in 1901. Another year a few caterpillars taken 

 at Esher produced ochreous coloured males and pale brown 

 females only ; the bands of the latter were narrower than usual 

 and much contracted below the middle. As the females last 

 mentioned are somewhat under the normal size I am inclined 

 to think that the caterpillars from which they were reared had 

 been on short commons during their last stage. Two males 

 and a female are shown on Plate 48. 



The greyish brown eggs are laid during July and August in 

 a ring cluster around a twig as shown on Plate 49, and so they 

 remain exposed to all weathers during the winter. In April the 

 caterpillars hatch out, and as they live in company throughout 

 the greater part of their larval existence, the first business is to 



