LEPIDOPTERA— NOCTUID^E. 47 



are at rest they are soon attracted toward it. A candle was placed on 

 a low shelf at " 6, " where they were very numerous. Some were observed 

 to approach it after a time and a few even to crawl up the candle until 

 they were caught in the drip. The candle was allowed to burn out, 

 leaving behind literally a pile of these insects in the drip. On the roof 

 above'a lighted candle these flies move only sufficiently to escape the heat. 

 When kept in small bottles in a dark room to which some light was 

 admitted individuals of this species occupied the end of the bottles away 

 from the source of the light. 



These flies were often reared in the laboratory from eggs or larvae 

 brought in from the cave. Those reared from very young larvae in 

 small closely-corked bottles were only two-thirds the normal size. 



Another species of this genus (Limosina stygia Coquillett) occurs in 

 similar situations in Mammoth Cave (Call, 1897, 384). 



Order LEPIDOPTERA. 



Family NOCTUIDAE. 



Scoliopteryx libatrix Linnaeus. 



LiNN^us, Syst. Nat., 1758, 507. Smith, Bull. 44, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1893, 224. 



This species hibernates in the cave in considerable numbers. It is 

 not found beyond twilight, and most individuals occur from the first 

 bend at "4" to about 50 feet farther in. Some remain quite near the 

 door and one or two were seen as far as " 6. " They usually rest upon 

 the roof, but a few are found on the walls and some under projecting 

 angles from the wall. They enter the cave early in the fall. Several 

 had already come September 24, 1904, and after October 15 there were 

 apparently no more arrivals. They leave the cave early in April. None 

 seemed to have moved April 4, 1904, and April 15 most of them still 

 had not moved, but by April 28 all had disappeared. March 4, 1905, 

 all yet remained where they had been during the winter, but April 8 

 only 6 were seen, and one of those was not where it had been during 

 the winter. April 29 all were gone. 



These moths are rather inactive from the time they enter the cave. 

 Those noted on September 24 crawled a little and moved the wings some 

 when touched or if dislodged fluttered weakly to the ground, but showed 

 no inclination to take flight. Later, when it becomes cooler, they are 

 scarcely capable of moving and if partly dislodged often fail to regain 

 their footing. Toward their time of leaving the cave in the latter part 

 of the winter they become somewhat less dormant. 



Some of this species that were brought into the laboratory became 

 rather active, due to the constant jarring in carrying them several miles 



