LEPIDOPTERA. — HETEROCERA. 863 
and the little unity of principle existing between them, or by examin- 
ing the lists of the minute tribes given by continental authors, who, 
content with the showy objects in the order, almost overlook the 
minute, but highly interesting, and often exquisitely beautiful species. 
-If we cast our eyes over the sketch of the distribution of these tribes, 
given by Dr. Horsfield (see ante, p. 328.), we shall find still less rea- 
son to be satisfied, either as regards the primary or the secondary 
groups. Compare, for instance, the Sphingide, where four genera 
are regarded as primary types of form, with the Phalanidez, where 
each type of form is of as a high a rank as the whole of the Sphin- 
gidee. 
If the arrangement of Dr. Horsfield, founded as it is upon the 
quinarian principles of MacLeay, presents us with too few primary 
groups amongst the moths, that of Latreille is, on the other hand, to 
be guarded against as establishing too many, in other words as regard- 
ing as primary groups those which are only secondary. He distributes 
the Crepuscularia into four primary sections, and the Nocturna into 
ten, namely, 1. Hepialites. 2. Bombycites. 3. Pseudo-Bombyces 
(Arctiidz, Notodontidz, and Lithosiidz). 4. Aposura (genera Cerura 
and Platypteryx). 5. Noctuelites. 6. Tortrices. 7. Phaleenites. 
8. Deltoides (Crambus rostratus Fabr., &c.). 9. Tineites, includ- 
ing Botys, Galleria, and all the small moths except, 10. Pterophorites. 
This arrangement of the families appears to me on the whole more 
natural than any other hitherto proposed, and especially than that of 
the German naturalists. The section Aposura ought, however, to be 
rejected, consisting as it does of two genera, having no other relation 
than that their larve are destitute of anal feet; the Tortrices also 
unnaturally break the transition from the Noctuidee to the Geometridz 
so beautifully effected by Catocala, Plusia, and other half-loopers, as 
their larvee are termed, and Ophiusa, Erastria, &c. Again, the 9th 
tribe, Tineites, requires further dismemberment. With regard, there- 
fore, to the primary groups of the Heterocera, I candidly admit that 
I am not able to offer a satisfactory classification, although it seems 
unquestionable that Sphinx (or the hawk moths), Bombyx (or the 
feather-horned full-bodies), Noctua (or the thread-horned full-bodies ), 
Geometra (or the loopers), Pyralis, Tortrix, and Tinea, are, as Lin- 
nzus considered them, amongst the primary types. I shall, there- 
fore, proceed to the consideration of the secondary groups or families 
independent of their primary tribes, which may be arranged as fol- 
