11 



taking student of entomology, first discovered these spiny 

 areas on the wings of the gypsy moth, and has since found 

 them in a large number of our moths and also on the Tri- 

 choptera. In the butterflies, however, Mr. Cooley finds the 

 scales modified in this place to such an extent that they are 

 intermediate between spines and scales ; but in the Ptero- 

 phoridce there are no spiny areas. So far as he has carried 

 his studies, it would seem that they are present in those 

 insects which close the wings in such a manner that the 

 under side of the basal part of the hind margin of the fore 

 wing rests on the side of the thorax ; but in those insects 

 which do not hold the wings in this manner they do not 

 occur, or, if present, are in a modified form. Mr. Cooley 

 will soon publish the result of his studies. 



After Mr. Cooley had found the spiny area in the fore 

 wing of the gypsy moth, I learned that Donitz had previ- 

 ously discovered a similar area in the fore wing of Diony- 

 chopus niveus Men. of Siberia ; but he claims to have found 

 its counterpart on the hind wing, and considers it a musical 

 apparatus. I do not know how Dionychopus holds its wings 

 when at rest, and cannot express any opinion as to the accu- 

 racy of the observations and conclusions of Donitz ; but I 

 am inclined to think that the insects observed by Mr. Cooley 

 use this apparatus for an entirely different purpose. 



FAMILY CRAMBID^E. 



The moths included in this family are medium or rather 

 small in size, generally of light colors. Brown, yellow and 

 white prevail, and many of them have metallic markings on 

 the fore wings, which are comparatively long, and in some 

 cases narrow. These are rolled around the body when the 

 insect is at rest, and conceal the large hind wings, which are 

 folded beneath. 



The ocelli are present in most of the species. The labial 

 palpi are porrect, nearly straight and often long, sometimes 

 as long as the head and thorax ; the maxillary palpi are well 

 developed and strongly triangular. The fore wings have 

 veins 4 and 5 arising near each other, or sometimes from a 

 stalk ; 8 and 9 stalked or sometimes fused, forming a single 



