( Ixxix ) 



cannot find it in that publication. In the paper referred to, 

 Piepers describes a small white moth which he refers to the 

 genus Scirpojyhaga, alluding to it as one of the pests of S.W. 

 Celebes, since, attracted by light it comes into houses, and 

 frequently settles on the inhabitants. Wherever it touches 

 the naked skin it leaves an intolerable itching. The author 

 further states that this moth attaches to the walls of rooms 

 masses of eggs covered with yellow down. This is the earliest 

 reference I have been able to find to urticating hairs occurring 

 in the perfect insect. I am indebted to my friend Commander 

 Walker for kindly pointing it out to me. On hearing of Mr. 

 Lamborn's discovery, or rather I should say of his monkey's 

 discovery, I naturally thought of examining the motbs Por- 

 thesia similis and P. chrysorrhoea. Reference is made to the 

 urticating properties of these moths in Barrett's British 

 Lepidoptera, where the author states that the irritation has 

 been thought to arise from the long hair-like scales of the 

 fore wing inner margin as well as from those of the anal tuft. 



In the case of the larvae of these species the urticating 

 properties are of course well known, and in order to appreciate 

 the structure of the hairs in the moths I should first point 

 out that in the case of the larva of P. siinilis there are two 

 kinds of hairs, the first long and not very numerous, the 

 second short, vei-y minute, and exceedingly numerous. The 

 long hairs are provided with irregularly placed, slightly curved 

 spines. The small hairs are of a quite different and very 

 peculiar structure. They vary in length from about '18 to 

 •08 of a millimetre ; they are very finely tapered towards the 

 end by which they are attached, and the outer end, which is 

 much thicker, is furnished with three or four large sharp 

 barbs, similar projections of gradually decreasing size being 

 profusely arranged along the whole length of the hair, or 

 spicule, as it may be termed. These spicule hairs, which in 

 the case of the processiouary caterpillars have been described 

 by Judeich and Nitsche, occur in enormous numbers, and I 

 believe that to them is mainly due the inflammation which 

 ensues from contact with the larva. 



Now in the female moth, P. similis, microscopic examination 

 of the hairs in the anal tuft shows that there are present three 



