390 Mr. W. Arnold Lewis on 
Besides (to return) it would seem that if the authors of 
the new names felt a difficulty of this kind, they should, 
according to their own plan have named their groups 
“ Platypteryges” and ‘ Notodonte,” and there was no 
sort of necessity to invent new titles. 
With reference to the species constituting the new 
group Pseudo-Bombyces, we have already seen that some 
were before considered so closely akin to certain Bombyces, 
that they were placed in the same family with them. On 
the other hand, the species now collected were by Latreille 
considered so dissimilar among themselves, that he placed 
them three of his families apart, the species of the genus 
Notodonta being classed with the Noctuce, in Gen. Crust. 
&c., vol. iv. 
The new grouping places twenty-seven Bombyciform 
moths a long distance away from their allies, between 
these and the main body, being the whole of the 
very distinct group Geometre. That arrangement could 
only be supported by showing that the Geometre na- 
turally connect the Bombyces with the Pseudo-Bombyces ; 
but there is not the slightest reason for saying that the 
last-mentioned, or, if you please, “‘ aberrant” Bombyces 
are connected with the other Bombyces through, or by 
means of the Geometre. No author who has written 
with reasons has ever suggested, remark, the possibility 
of such an arrangement. ‘The relationship of the “aber- 
rant” to the “true” Bombyces (I use these terms 
strictly under protest) is direct; some families of the 
latter pass gradually into the separated family Notodon- 
tide, so plainly, that one learned author refused, as we 
have seen, to consider the Notodontide anything but a 
part of the Arctiidae (Westw. Introd. u. p. 385); and 
Latreille also classes them in one family. The Notodon- 
tide may, nevertheless, present such differences from the 
typical Bombyx, that they should not be classed in the 
same group. But their position even then should be 
next to Bombyx. 
On leaving the so-called Nocturni, we leave several 
families of moths characterised by their strong and thick 
wings, robust bodies, and antennz pectinate in the males ; 
whose wings in repose meet roof-like over the abdomen, 
whose larva has sixteen legs, and walks without looping. 
