February 1S93.J 



PSTCHE. 



389 



moths came out, but one had damaged 

 itself. 



May 22nd. Another moth emerged. 



May 23rd. Another moth hatched. 



May 30th. Another moth has come 

 out. 



A large number of flies, not moths, 

 (Tachina), also came out of this mass 

 of cocoons, each one of which had of 

 course destroyed a chrysalis. Two of 

 these I send pinned and numbered 100." 



No. i2i. {A?/ap/ie Moloneyi, Druce.) 



"Sept. 29th, 1S91. This morning a 

 native brought me the cocoon numbered 

 121. I have seen several similar co- 

 coons before. I supposed this to have 

 been spun up by a single very large 

 caterpillar. I bought it and laid it down 

 on my table till I could finish what I 

 was doing, when the boys called to me, 

 and pointed out that a moth had come 

 out, and there it was, creeping up the 

 wall, where it finally settled in order to 

 allow its wings to develop. I now 

 realize that I have another multiple 

 cocoon like No. 100. There must be a 

 number of species which spin such 

 cocoons, for I have seen several others 

 like this one but differing in important 

 particulars. 



Oct. 5th. Four more of the moths 

 have hatched. 



Oct. 6th. Three more came out today. 

 I remark that all of these moths so far 

 have emerged from the cocoon between 

 9 and 10 a.m. All African butterflies 

 come out in the morning from the 

 chrysalis, and all moths so far as I have 

 observed in the afternoon, or during the 



night. 1 at first thought these might 

 be day-flying moths, but they seem not 

 to be, as they do not stir all day long. 

 As was the case with No. ioo, so here, 

 a great many flies are emerging from 

 this cocoon. I should say two flies 

 come out for every moth. I send a 

 couple of them pinned and numbered 

 121." (They are of the same species as 

 that which emerged from the cocoon of 

 Oecura.) 



"Oct. 24th. The flies have ceased to 

 emerge, but the moths are still coming. 

 At first mostly males came out, then 

 males and females, later only females. 

 Three or four days ago I thought all the 

 moths were out. All had apparently 

 come out of one side, that from which 

 the twigs project, and I supposed that 

 these were all that the nest contained. 

 But a day or two ago they began to 

 come out from the other side and today 

 four emerged, all males. I suppose the 

 females will come later." From the 

 dates on the envelopes it is plain that 

 this surmise was correct. 



It only remains to be said that in the 

 economy of these insects we have a 

 wonderful illustration of instinct, 

 scarcely less remarkable than that dis- 

 played by the bee, and especially won- 

 derful because exhibited by the insect in 

 its larval, and therefore immature, state. 



Oecura,* gen. >wv. 



Palpi minute, porrect, compressed, heavily 

 clothed with short hairs, the third joint short 

 and clothed with hair to its tip, and almost 

 lost in the hairv vestiture of the second joint. 



*OiKOvpa = Domi rectrix. 



