l894-] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. IO5 



distinguished as la, ib, and ic, counting outwardly- Vein ib 

 is rarely if ever forked at the base, as in the Tortricids and many 

 of the Tineids. Vein 5 is much nearer 4 at its origin, than to 6. 

 Veins 6 and 7 are stalked, or, in a few species, they are separate. 

 The costal vein arises at the base of the wing near the subcostal 

 and runs near and parallel with it to the end of the cell, beyond 

 which it is either joined with vein 8 for a short distance, or else 

 runs so close to it as to appear to unite with it. This is an im- 

 portant characteristic of this family. 



The subfamilies may be separated by the following table : 



1. Median vein of hind wings not hairy above 2. 



Median vein of hind wings hairy above 3. 



2. F'ore wings with vein 7 separate from 8 and 9 . . . , Pyranstinae. 

 Fore wings with vein 7 arising from the stem of 8 and 9 . Pyralinae. 



3. Fore wings with vein 7 present 4. 



Fore wings with vein 7 absent Phycitinae. 



4. Maxillary palpi triangular Grambinse. 



Maxillary palpi not triangular Gallerlinae. 



The family Pterophoridae (feather-wings or plume-moths) in- 

 clude small moths ranging from 10 to 36 mm. in expanse pf wings. 

 They have slender bodies; long, slim legs; long, narrow and fis- 

 sured wings which they hold nearly horizontally, and at right 

 angles with the body, but the feathers of the hind wings are 

 folded over each other and drawn forward under the fore wings. 



The genus Agdistis, of Europe, has entire wings, but the fis- 

 sure is indicated. The genera Scoptonoma and Stenoptycha, es- 

 tablished by Zeller and placed among the Pterophorids, have 

 been transferred to the Pyralids, the former being synonymous 

 with Guenee's genus Lineodes. The fringes are quite long, and 

 arranged on both sides of the divisions of the wings, giving them 

 their strong resemblance to the feathers of a bird, and thus mak- 

 ing more complete organs of flight. 



This family comprises two well-defined subfamilies : Ptero- 

 phorinae and Orneodinae. 



The Pterophorinae have a fissure in the fore wings extending 

 in from the middle of the outer margin, between veins 4 and 7, 

 nearly one-fourth of the length of the wing. The hind wing is 

 separated into three divisions by two fissures extending in from 

 the outer margin, the first between veins 4 and 8, nearly to the 

 middle of the wing, the second between ic and 2, nearly three- 



