ON NEW SPILOSOMA HYBRIDS. 295 



from the few that hatched only a single one managed to struggle 

 on to pupation. 



Although a pure hybrid, seileri has, as regards its powers of 

 reproduction and crossing, almost the value of a species. 



From these data one may conclude that both progenitors of 

 seileri (viz. sordicla and luctuosa), although so different super- 

 ficially, are yet in reality very closely related, and must have 

 branched off into two species themselves since a relatively short 

 enough period. It is also likely that sordida is the more recent 

 form, and that the sexual dimorphism in this species has arisen 

 quite lately ; the male seileri figured on fig. 6 appears to offer a 

 very interesting illustration of a return to the earlier prevalent 

 colouring of sordida $ . 



Spilosoma hybr. beata, Car. (pi. vi. figs. 7-9), is from a crossing 

 between mendica var. rustica $■ and sordida ? . I described it in 

 'Iris,' x. p. 371. 



In beata, rustica-blood prevails over that of sordida in the 

 proportion of 3:1. The following markings, characteristic of 

 sordida, have, however, been transmitted, viz. the somewhat 

 elongate form of the wings, the faint yellowish grey (not milk- 

 white) ground colour of the wings, even in the female, the ten- 

 dency to a row of spots commencing at the apex, the black- 

 spotted fringe of the fore wings, and — in the female — the notice- 

 ably dark more or less strongly impressed longitudinal stripes on 

 the hind wings. The capital figures render a more extended 

 description superfluous. Further crossings of this hybrid could 

 not be effected. Upon the hybrid itself one should consult the 

 1 Iris,' x. p. 372. 



Spilosoma hybr. hilaris, Car. (pi. vi. figs. 10-11), has for 

 father the hybrid inverse/,, Car.,* for mother the hybrid viertli, 

 and is therefore the result of a cross between the df of a 

 race-mixing of the second order with the ? of a genuine bastard. 

 As is evident from the faithful figure, the parentage of sordida is 

 not very noticeable (except perhaps in the stronger spotting of 

 the wings in the $ ) ; while, on the contrary, the influence of 

 standfussi, in the strong darkening of hilaris $ , is unmistakable. 

 The colouring of the latter is the same as that of the lightest 

 standfussi females ; the 2 resembles the inversa ? figured, only 

 the black spots on the margin of the hind wings are much 

 clearer marked. 



This extraordinary mixture was very successful in different 

 combinations, and rendered startling results. In the in-and-in 

 breeding each crossing was fruitful, and almost the same in the 

 crossing with var. rustica $ . 



A crossing of the hybrid ? with sordida $ produced eggs of 

 which about 75 per cent, were fruitful, but of the converse only 



:;: Hybrid inversa originated from standfussi ? and var. rustica $ . 



