1008 PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



miners. Some are attached to the nests of Termites or ants. Not 

 infrequently they are case-bearers. 



The AdelidcB may be kno^vn at once by the very long antennae, only 

 parallelled in certain Trichoptera ; their brilliant ornamentation of 

 purjDle, gold, and other metallic hues renders them very attractive. 

 Over 20 species are known. The larvae are case-bearers, often feeding 

 habitually on dead leaves, yet attached to certain plants in their primary 

 stages. 



The NepHculidce are an ancient group of much interest with quite 

 peculiar neuration, rough heads, large eyecaps, and folded maxillary 

 palpi ; they are usually very small, and are naturally difficult of 

 observation, but occur all over the world. The larvae are leaf-miners, 

 and in hot countries pass very rapidly through all their stages ; hence 

 with proper precautions they are not difficult to breed. About 8 species 

 are known so far, but very possibly they run into hundreds. Effective 

 collections of these tiny creatures can only be made by those who 

 specialize in them, disregarding the attractions of larger insects. 



The Hepialidw should be mentioned at this point, but owing to 

 their size are usually mistaken for Macrolepidoptera. 



Finally, the Micropterygidce are (like the ■Hepialidw) distinguished 

 from all the precedjng by the 12-veined hindwings, and from the Hepia- 

 lidw by the folded maxillary palpi. They are at present represented 

 by a single specimen (Neopseustis) from the Khasis, a highly peculiar 

 and remarkable insect which argues the existence of other Species, 

 probably even more remarkable. Some at least of these should be 

 looked for at high elevations in the Himalayas, in spring-time, especially 

 in Conifer forests, but actually attached either to catkin-bearing trees 

 and shrubs or to mosses, frequenting mingled sunshine and shade ; 

 not improbably they might be of Trichopterous appearance, and might 

 be overlooked on this account. These insects are so important and 

 interesting from their bearing on the origin of the Lepidoptera that no 

 pains should be Spared to discover them. 



The Microlepidoptera in India are probably not less numerous than 

 the Macrolepidoptera but have attracted the attention of very few 

 collectors, partly on account of their small size and partly (probably 

 mostly) because there has been no regular guide to the study of these 

 small moths. The descriptions of the species and genera are extremely 

 scattered. Many have been described in the Bombay Natural History 

 Society's Journal and in Exotic Microlepidoptera, a few in the Indian 

 Museum Records and others ^iti scattered publications issued outside 



