48 4 Mr. A. H. Hamm’s Record of British Moths 
not open to this criticism, and that the moths represented 
tell their own story at once to experienced naturalist or 
beginner alike. And this is just because the figures are an 
accurate register of the insects in positions assumed by 
them on surfaces chosen by them. 
Fig. 1 on Plate XXIX shows the male of Hybernia 
leucophearia, Schift., one of the commonest and earliest 
moths to appear in our oak woods. The example here 
shown is fairly typical of this extremely variable insect. 
The figure shows the moth in its characteristic attitude 
with the body approximately horizontal. The object of 
this position is also well seen, viz. in order to bring the 
dark markings or bars of the fore-wings into parallelism 
with the dark lines of shadow in the main fissures of the 
oak bark. Thus the attitude has an obvious procryptic 
meaning. In this and in all the other figures illustrating 
this paper the natural orientation of the moths was care- 
fully preserved on the negatives and is now recorded on 
the Plate. 
Another very common species, Tephrosia biwndularia, 
Bork., occurs in nearly every wood throughout the country. 
In the south where the pale typical form occurs unmixed 
with others the insect is far more conspicuous than Jewco- 
phearia. Thisis especially the case when it is found on one 
of its usual resting places, the dark bark of the larch. On 
oak, however, it is far less prominent. Fig. 2 represents 
the female at rest upon this tree in its usual attitude, 
which is to be interpreted in the same manner as in the 
species last described. The asymmetrical position of the 
wings is doubtless due to the costal margin of the right 
fore-wing being fitted closely against the side of the 
vertical fissure in the bark. Had the attitude been sym- 
metrical both sides of the fissure would have been entirely 
covered by part of one wing and a more conspicuous effect 
produced. 
Lupithecia abbreviata, St., as every one knows who has 
had experience of “trunk-searching” for “ Pugs,” is very 
difficult to find when at rest upon oak ; so much so indeed 
that collectors generally prefer to hunt the smooth stems 
of the underwood, where it is far more easily detected. 
In Fig. 8 is seen a specimen of this common “ Pug” 
fitting into a depression in the bark of an oak, and the 
beautiful manner in which it harmonizes with its environ- 
ment is very evident. The main lines of the moth’s 
