THYRIS. 291 



outer third of the wing, blue-black. The hind-wings have the 

 hind margins, nervures, and a cross mark near the middle of 

 the costa also blue-black. The fringes are brownish ash- 

 colour. 



The larva lives in the stems of the alder. 



FAMILY THYRIDID^E. 



The antennae are thickened in the middle, and the basal 

 joint is also thickened. .The proboscis is well developed, and 

 the ocelli are absent. The legs are stout and hairy, and the 

 hind tibiae are armed with two pairs of very long spurs. The 

 body is stout, and extends much beyond the hind-wings. The 

 wings are more or less dentated, and are adorned with vitreous 

 spots. The moths fly over flowers by day. 



The larva feeds on pith in the stems of shrubs. 



This Family has usually been included in the Sphinges, 

 near the ALgeriid&i to which the typical genus is certainly 

 allied. Most of the forms included in this Family by recent 

 authors appear to have no connection with it. Among these is 

 Varnia (cf. antea, p. 106, pi. 155, fig. 6), a genus more appro- 

 priately placed by its describer in the Noctuce^ than in juxta- 

 position with ThyriS) as other Lepidopterists have proposed. 



GENUS THYRIS. 



Thyris, Hoffmannsegg, in Illiger, Mag. Insect, ii, p. 39, note 

 (1803) ; Ochsenheimer, Schmett. Eur. ii, p. 114(1808)- 

 Boisduval, Mon. Zyg. p. 16(1829). 



The antennae are thicker in the male than in the female ; and 

 the abdomen is long and conical. The wings are dark, with 

 large transparent spots. The moths are small, and are 

 chiefly found in Europe, Asia, and North America. They fly 

 over flowers in the daytime. 



u 2 



