484 Mr. A. H. Hamin's Record of British Moths 



not open to this criticism, and that the moths represented 

 tell their own story at once to experienced naturalist or 

 beginner alike. And this is just because the figures are an 

 accurate register of the insects in positions assumed by 

 them on surfaces chosen by them. 



Fig. 1 on Plate XXIX shows the male of Hyhcrnia 

 lcicco2)ha;aria, Schiff., one of the commonest and earliest 

 moths to appear in our oak woods. The example here 

 shown is fairly typical of this extremely variable insect. 

 The figure shows the moth in its characteristic attitude 

 with the body approximately horizontal. The object of 

 this position is also well seen, viz. in order to bring the 

 dark markings or bars of the fore-wings into parallelism 

 with the dark lines of shadow in the main fissures of the 

 oak bark. Thus the attitude has an obvious procryptic 

 meaning. In this and in all the other figures illustrating 

 this paper the natural orientation of the moths was care- 

 fully preserved on the negatives and is now recorded on 

 the Plate. 



Another very common species, Tcjjhrosia Mundularia, 

 Bork., occurs in nearly every wood throughout the country. 

 In the south where the pale typical form occurs unmixed 

 with others the insect is far more conspicuous than Icuco- 

 plixaria. This is especially the case when it is found on one 

 of its usual resting places, the dark bark of the larch. On 

 oak, however, it is far less prominent. Fig. 2 represents 

 the female at rest upon this tree in its usual attitude, 

 which is to be interpreted in the same manner as in the 

 species last described. The asymmetrical position of the 

 wings is doubtless due to the costal margin of the right 

 fore-wing being fitted closely against the side of the 

 vertical fissure in the bark. Had the attitude been sym- 

 metrical both sides of the fissure would have been entirely 

 covered by part of one wing and a more conspicuous effect 

 produced. 



Eiopithccia ahhrcviata, St., as every one knows who has 

 had experience of " trunk-searching " for " Pugs," is very 

 diflicult to find when at rest upon oak ; so much so indeed 

 that collectors generally prefer to hunt the smooth stems 

 of the underwood, where it is far more easily detected. 

 In Fig. 3 is seen a specimen of this common " Pug " 

 fitting into a depression in the bark of an oak, and the 

 beautiful manner in which it harmonizes with its environ- 

 ment is very evident. The main lines of the moth's 



