10 Psyche "[February 



The two forks of the elytron formed by the excision are unequal, 

 the median fork being about twice as wide at base and somewhat 

 longer. The lateral fork is bent sharply ventro-laterad and is 

 sinuate, its tip especially curving away from the excision. The 

 apex of the excision is broadly rounded; its sides are convex inward. 



The color markings are as little disturbed as could well be, — the 

 black suture and five black stripes on each elytron being readily 

 recognizable. The first and second stripes run nearly their full 

 length. The third runs a little mediad of the apex of the excision, 

 shows a slight tendency to fork to the outer prong, and margins the 

 inner prong about halfway to its apex, gradually attenuating to a 

 point. Its course is such as not to encroach upon the normal width 

 of the intervening yellow stripe. The second and third stripes do 

 not, therefore, unite toward the apex as in the typical individual. 

 The fourth black stripe has a slightly different position on the two 

 elytra. On the left it runs just laterad of the apex of the excision 

 margining the outer prong with black, within, almost to its apex; 

 gradually narrowing. On the right elytron the fourth stripe curves 

 abruptly about three millimeters from the humerus, eluding the 

 margin of the excision over its basal half, thence terminating in 

 normal width; after which the margin is again yellow. The fifth 

 stripe runs about a normal course with respect to the margin of the 

 elytron. This stripe and the yellow interval between it and the 

 fourth stripe are somewhat abnormally widened about mid-length. 



The most noteworthy feature of the insect is the very close 

 symmetry of the two malformed elytra. Besides the slight dif- 

 ference in the course of the fourth stripe, the only discrepancy is 

 in the length of the elytra at the suture; the left one exceeds the 

 right by about a half millimeter. 



It is interesting to speculate as to the probable cause of such 

 development. Mere mechanical injury or pressure would seem to 

 be an inadequate explanation, unless presumed to occur at a very 

 early stage. The close similarity of the anomaly in the two wings 

 seems to me to point to a deep-seated, physiological disturbance, 

 the nature of which I am entirely unable to conjecture.' 



It is unfortunate that the specimen was not noted in time to 

 make possible extensive observations of its behavior, and that an 

 examination of the internal structures of the fresh specimen was 

 neglected. The specimen is in the collection of the writer. 



1 See Brues, Charles T., The Structure and Significance of Vestigial Wings among Insects. 

 Biol. Bull., Vol. IV., No. 4, March, 1903, pp. 179-190. 



