C-emhi:) 
THE SCALES OF THE RURALIDAE, WITH SOME OBSERVATIONS 
ON THEIR CoLoUuR PROBLEMS. 
It is manifestly impossible to deal adequately with so wide 
a matter in the course of a single address, but it has occupied 
my attention intermittently for many years and I thought it 
might be well to lay before you some of my observations, 
inasmuch as the scales of this group are very varied, many are 
very beautiful, whilst some have a peculiar interest of their 
own. 
It is no doubt well known to all that the different areas 
of the wings have scales of different patterns, for instance 
the costa of the fore-wing, which needs to be strengthened as 
the cutting edge during the process of flight, generally has 
long scales different from the others; these are formed into a 
sort of cable, so to speak; the subcostal area differs in its scales 
from those covering the cell and these differ from those in 
the postmedian area, whilst the fringe scales (most beautiful 
objects under the microscope) are totally diverse in shape 
from all the others. In addition to these there are the various 
sexual brands of very varied structure and design, whilst 
there are also the extraordinary protective scales covering the 
entire surface of that peculiarly specialised insect Liphyra 
brassolis. 
Before describing the scales themselves it might be well to 
explain one term that I have used; in the details of the 
‘‘plasenschuppen”’ I have used the word “ reticulations;” a 
reticulated surface in its strict sense should show a network, 
formed by lines crossing each other at different angles, and 
under a low power these peculiar scales have a reticulated 
appearance; to be accurate however they are crossed longi- 
tudinally only by rows of minute dots, and the fact that the 
rows are exceedingly close to one another gives them the 
appearance mentioned, I have therefore used the words 
‘ rows of reticulations ” or “ reticulated rows ”’ as it expresses 
the general appearance, though technically it is not correct. 
I ought also to add that in my preparations of butterflies 
with these structural colours all the Ruralidae have a second 
under layer of brown scales whose office might well be to 
absorb all the unused rays of light, and thus perfect the 
production of the colours of this group. 
