36 



se Her avec les Callimorphes." The approach of the genus 

 Aglaope to Aglossa, rather than to Callimorpha, seems to be pre- 

 sumable from the circumstance of its not possessing a tongue, the 

 genus Glaucopis having more similarity to our genus Pyrausta, 

 while some of its species, which appear to call for further generic 

 division of the order, are closely allied to our Botys literalis, &c. 

 The only British genera of this order are Zygasna and Ino ; the 

 latter, however, appears to be merely a species of some extra- 

 European genus, as I have remarked several exotics of precisely 

 similar form. The insects of this order have a stout and rather 

 hairy larva, much like those of the generality of the sub-class, 

 and in no respect allied to that of the Sphinges. Early in the 

 summer they spin a glossy silken cocoon, generally attached to 

 blades of grass, and remain but a few days in the pupa state. A 

 great proportion of the perfect insects have hyaline spots and 

 patches in their wings, and nearly all of them are brilliantly 

 coloured. It is known that Linnaeus occasionally, as in Tenebrio 

 and the present instance, made his genera recipients of species, 

 which he found a difficulty in locating properly ; but it is really 

 astonishing to find a naturalist like Latreille abiding by so absurd 

 a combination as the contents of the Linnajan genus Sphinx, and, 

 in servile imitation, calling creatures which nothing but an un- 

 clouded sun ever tempts abroad — Crepuscularia.* It is no part 

 of my present plan to assign names to orders, or to describe their 

 contents, except in those particular instances in which the more 

 immediate object of this Essay may render it imperative. I will, 

 however, just observe, that I by no means consider Zygsena the 

 type of the order, but merely the nearest point of contact with 

 Sphinx, and an evident departure from its true type, which per- 

 haps may be found in that ill-divided genus Glaucopis, the form 

 and appearance of which is altogether more Pyralis-like than 

 Zygaena. I am well aware that (Egocera and Zygaena do not 

 harmonize so beautifully as many other approaches, and fully 

 expect to see the connexion between these sub- classes much im- 

 proved ; but I have seized on these genera as demonstrating a 

 tendency in each individual towards the sub-class to which it does 



* Volatu vespertine, Lhi. 



