132 Mr. Butler's descriptions and remarks upon 



margin to third median branch, and thence undulated to inner 

 margin ; discoidal spots outlined in white ; secondaries sericeous 

 bronze-brown, darker towards the outer margin ; fringe whity- 

 brown, traversed by a dark brown line ; body brown, the abdomen 

 greyer than the thorax ; under surface whity-brown, sericeous, 

 with golden-bronze reflections ; primaries, with the exception of 

 the borders, suffused with blackish, and showing darker indications 

 of the third and fourth lines of the upper surface ; secondaries 

 crossed by two irregular ill-defined dusky stripes. Expanse of 

 wings, 29 mm, 



Fiikusbima, 28tli July, 1881 {G. Lavis) ; Yokobama 

 {H. Prijer). 



Mr. Pryer regards this as a Noctna : in pattern above 

 it is most like a Mesof/ona, excepting in the border of tlie 

 primaries, wbicb is like tbat of an OrtJtosia : in some 

 respects it is more like a Cerastis tlian a Cosmia, but 

 tbe palpi correspond witb tbose of tbe latter genus : 

 singularly enough it agrees in most respects with the 

 Notodontid genus Beara, but the flatter thorax, more 

 prominent head, longer palpi, and tbe little cross-veinlet 

 in tbe primaries forming tbe post-discoidal cellule, 

 sufficiently distinguish it. 



It is strange tbat neuration should repeat itself, as it 

 does, in widely distinct families ; in the present instance, 

 however, the families are more nearly allied than they 

 sometimes are : neuration, though invaluable as a generic 

 character, cannot be used by itself for tbe definition of 

 families, for, though it may serve to distinguish some, 

 it will equally unite others which are far more distinct ; 

 the little cell above or beyond tbe discoidal cell, and 

 which has been called "post-discoidal," occurs in many 

 groups of Boinbijcina, Gcometrina, and Noctnina. Tbe 

 number of median branches to tbe secondaries (the 

 radial when approximated to tbe third median being 

 called a fourth) is not an invariable character, there 

 being Geomctrina, both witb three and four so-called 

 " median branches " ; \\\\i\^i Argyria, which appears to 

 be a Drepanulid (as I shall presently attempt to prove), 

 corresponds closely, not only in neuration, but in every 

 other respect, with Somatina, has only tbe normal 

 Geometrid arrangement of three median branches, and, 

 apart from its great resemblance to CiWv, fully justifies 

 M. Guenee's decision tbat it belonged to tbe Geomctrina : 

 at the same time it possesses tbe same number of veins 



