Zoology. — ''The wing -markings of Arctiidae". By Prof. J. F. 

 VAN Bemmelen. 



(Communicated in the meeting of November 24, 1917). 



As exposed in former publications, based on my investigations of 

 Rhopalocera and Hepialids, the analysis of wing-markings leads to 

 the assumption of an original pattern, common to all members of 

 the group, and modified in various but not independent ways in 

 the several families, genera, and species. At the same time these 

 studies have induced me to propose a set of general rules about wing- 

 design: among others the original identity in the markings of fore- 

 and hindwing, upper- and underside, etc., these conclusions in many 

 cases agreeing with those of my predecessors, notably with Eimkr's. 



Therefore I felt a little astonished when I found that de Meyeke, 

 in his recent publication: Zur Zeichnung des Insekten- im beson- 

 deren des Dipteren- und Lepidopterenfliigels, though continually 

 referring to my investigations, and paying them the honour of his 

 critical remarks, onl}' superficially mentions the above named 

 hypothesis about a general primitive pattern, and also pays but 

 slight regard to the necessity I insisted upon, of comparing in every 

 case the two wing-pairs as to both their surfaces and of always 

 asking where the original conditions have remained most plainly. 

 In some passages de Meyere cursorily pays attention to differences 

 between upper- and underside, fore- and hindwing, but in many others 

 he does not even mention which part of the wing-design he has in 

 view, nor does he seem inclined to deduce general rules from the rich 

 treasure of his observations, except his assertion that: "also here 

 (viz. amongst Lepidoptera) "though on a more restricted scale" 

 (than amongst Diptera) "the various directions of the development 

 of wing-markings play a part, the stress being laid by him on 

 the word "various". Yet, according to my view, the detailed study 

 of the underside of all Lepidopteran-wings, and its conjparison 

 with the upper surface, is all the more necessary, because especially 

 in Heterocera the inferior wing-side has practically been disregarded, 

 as is proved by the almost complete absence of figures, even in 

 the most recent works. I therefore prepared for several years an 

 attempt to supply this deficiency, and had come to the conclusion, 



