pojwlar 23tctt'0uarp at [mmattt Mature. 259 



chrysalides are sometimes naked and sus- 

 pended by the tail, but more frequently 

 enveloped in a slight cocoon, and placed 

 among dry leaves, &c. In their perfect 

 state the Geometridas fly sluggishly in the 

 j twilight, or, if abroad in the day, and are 

 j disturbed, they quickly settle again amongst 

 j the foliage. Many species have a broad wavy 

 band across the fore wings ; these are called 

 Carpet Moths. Figures of all the British 

 species will be found in the very useful work 

 of Mr. Humphreys, " The British Moths." 



GEOPHAPS. A genus of birds found in 

 , Australia, belonging to a minor group of the 

 i ' Columbkke family, whose habits and economy 

 are very peculiar. Several species are de- 

 scribed by Air. Gould, from whose superb 

 work we glean the following particulars of 

 one, named 



GEOPHAPS SCRIPT A, or PARTRIDGE 

 BRONZE-WING. This bird is said to be se- 

 cond to none in the world as a delicate viand 

 for the table ; while it is equally interesting 

 to the sportsman, no other bird not strictly 

 gallinaceous so closely resembling the genus 

 Pcrdix (Partridges) in many of its habits 

 and manners ; in Mr. Gould's opinion, in- 

 deed, " in no instance is the theory of the 

 analogical relationship of one group to 

 another more strikingly borne out than in 

 the close resemblance of the members of this 

 group to those of the genus I'erdix." It is 

 sometimes seen in pairs, but more frequently 

 in small coveys of from four to six in number, 

 which, when approached, generally run off 

 with exceeding rapidity, and crouch down 

 among any scanty herbage, instead of seek- 

 ing safety by flight ; the colouring of the 

 bird assimilating so closely to that of the 

 ground or the herbage, that when crouched 

 down for shelter it is not easily to be seen. 

 When it rises, it does so with great rapidity, 

 making a loud whirring noise with its wings, 

 and generally alighting on the horizontal 

 branch of a large tree. On such plains as 

 are intersected with rivers and pools of 

 water, the Partridge Bronzewing is mostly 

 found ; and its principal food is the seeds of 

 various grasses and other small plants, to 

 which are occasionally added insects and 

 berries. The plumage of the head, back, 

 and chest is light, the edges of the primaries 

 and the extremities of the wing-coverts being 

 much paler ; a broad stripe of white runs 

 from beneath the mandible to beneath the 

 eye, another stripe from the posterior angle 

 of the eye down the side of the neck, the 

 interspaces being jet black, which colour 

 surrounds the eye, and also forms a crescent 

 across the lower part of the throat ; abdomen 

 gray ; flanks white ; tail grayish brown, 

 tipped with black ; naked skin round the 

 eye bluish lead-colour ; bill black ; feet dark 

 purplish brown. The female lays two eggs 

 on the bare ground, without any nest ; and 

 the young birds run and fly strongly when 

 they are only as large as a quail. 



GEOPHILUS. [See CENTIPEDE.] 

 GEOS P I ZA . A genus of the Finch tribe, 

 found by Mr. Darwin on the Galapagos 

 islands, and characterised by the species 



having an enormously thick and well-de- 

 veloped hard bill. They are terrestrial in 

 their habits. The accompanying cut, copied 



from Mr. Gould's figure in the Bird portion of 

 the zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, 

 will show the form and appearance of the 

 GEOSPIZA MAGNIUOSTRIS, and the accom- 

 panying extract from the ever-interesting 

 journal of Mr. Darwin tells us all that is 

 known of their habits. " These birds," he 

 says, "are the most singular of any in the 

 Galapagos archipelago. They all agree in 

 many points, namely, in a peculiar struc- 

 ture of their bill, short tails, general form, 

 and in their plumage. The females are 

 gray or brown, but the old cocks jet-black. 

 All the species, excepting two, feed in flocks 

 on the ground, and have very similar habits. 

 It is very remarkable that a nearly perfect 

 gradation of structure in this one group can 

 be traced in the form of the beak, from one 

 exceeding in dimensions that of the largest 

 grosbeak, to another differing but little from 

 that of a warbler." 



GERBILLUS. A genus of Glirine mam- 

 malia, chiefly found in South Africa and in 

 India : most of the species are long-tailed, 

 and may be seen in the British Museum col- 

 lection. 



GEKBOA. (Diptts jEgyptus.') [See JER- 



lOA.] 



GHOST-MOTH. (HepMus humuli.) A 

 nocturnal Lepidopterous insect, which re- 

 ceives this name from the male being of a 



jute colour, and from its habit of hovering 

 with a pendulum-like motion over one spot 

 'often in church-yards), where the female is 

 concealed. Of the singular habits of this in- 

 sect the following interesting particulars are 

 given in the " Journal of a Naturalist." The 

 larva which produces this creature is hidden 

 "n the ground during the season of winter ; the 

 fly being formed in the month of May, and 

 soon rising from the soil, then commences 

 its short career. At this time one or more 

 of them may frequently be observed under 

 some hedge in a mead, or some low place in 

 a damp pasture, only a few feet from the 



round, persevering for a length of time 

 together in a very irregular flight, and 

 falling, and balancing about in a space not 

 exceeding a few yards in circumference, an 

 action not observable in any other, and fully 

 indicating this moth. This procedure is not 



