THE NOCTUINA. 133 
to Mr. Stainton, has very depraved tastes. It appears to be 
omnivorous, and if it is kept with its own brothers, or with the 
larve of other moths, it will not confine itself to the plentiful 
supply of leaves, but will bite and finally eat, like a cannibal, 
all that comes in its way. The moth has a curious half-moon 
shaped pattern at the ends of its fore wings, and is therefore 
called the Satellite. 
The Phalenoide are a very remarkable family. The moths 
usually have delicate bodies, much more slender than those of the 
kinds already noticed; they have large wings, thread-shaped 
antenne, which are often pectinated and even fan-shaped ; they 
have a rudimentary trunk, which, however, is a useless organ ; 
and very small palpi. The caterpillars are more remarkable than 
the moths; they are long and cylindrical, like the twigs of a 
plant, and they have usually only two pairs of membranous legs ; 
there are three pairs in a few species, but all the segments in the 
middle of the body, which in other caterpillars maintain two or 
three sets of legs, as the case may be, do not have these loco- 
motive organs; consequently, the method of walking in these 
caterpillars is very different to that which is noticed in other 
larve. The group of the Geometrina exhibit this peculiarity in 
perfection. 
In describing the peculiarities of the groups of the Woctuzna, 
it was noticed that one of them had caterpillars which almost 
always loop when they walk, that is to say, that the back part 
of the body is brought up against the last of the fore legs—the 
body thus forming an arch or a loop. When the caterpillar 
wishes to move forwards it lets go its front legs, holds on with 
the hinder ones, and straightens itself, and does away with its 
looped shape; as soon as it is stretched out, the front legs catch 
hold of the leaf or twig upon which the insect may be moving, 
and the hind legs are let go, and brought forward. Moreover, 
from its ability to hold on perfectly by means of its hind legs, 
the caterpillar is very fond of raising its head and body in the air, 
and of remaining quite stationary in that attitude even for hours. 
Their colouring so often resembles that of the plants upon which 
they feed that, when they are quietly stiffened out, they cannot 
be distinguished from them; should they be disturbed they fix a_ 
