230 THE ZOOLOUIST. 



strongyloid character disappears. Taking into account what is known of 

 Spheerularia bombi, as interpreted bj Schneider, whose views are universally 

 accepted, it appears that Simondsia, though unique, yet approaches 

 Spharularia in the character of the female reproductive organs. Until 

 Sir J. Lubbock's memoir on Spharularia appeared, the so-called male had 

 never been indicated; but judged by Schneider's interpretation of that 

 genus the male is still unknown. Dr. Cobbold points out that the so- 

 called rosette in Simondsia is morphologically a prolapsed uterus furnished 

 with two egg-containing branches — he regards the external branched 

 processes as homologous with the sphaerules of Spharularia, whilst the 

 ultimate cajcal capsules have nothing comparable to them in nature. Dr. 

 Cobbold describes all the peculiarities of this strange worm in detail, and 

 gives a diagnosis of the genus and species. 



A paper was read "On the Moths of the family Urapterygidsc in the 

 collection of the British Museum," by Arthur G. Butler. The family of 

 Geometrites, founded by Guenee under this name, can only arbitrarily be 

 separated from the Kunomidae. Dr. Packard says — " The fact that genera 

 so closely allied as Drepanodes and Eutrapela arc placed separately in the 

 families Eunomidae and Uraptcrygidec by M. Guenee seems to me a proof 

 that the groups are artificial ones, and should be united." In the generic 

 division of the Geometrius, although neuration (as throughout the Lepi- 

 doptcra) must be considered of the highest importance, it is nevertheless 

 impossible to ignore the characters offered by the different forms of the 

 wings, each accurately repeated in series of allied species. Guenee, 

 although evidently regarding structure as correlated with pattern and 

 coloration, nevertheless gave one plate, chiefly of neuration as illustrative 

 of the tribe. The absurdity of the number system, however, and one that 

 from Mr. Butler's inability to believe it a fact, rendered the generic descrip- 

 tions of continental writers unintelligible to him for many years, lies in the 

 truth that it is essentially a retrograde movement. The author refers to Von 

 Heinemann's ' Schmetterlinge Deutschland's ' (p. 6), where it will be seen 

 that the veins are positively numbered from the back forwards, from the inner 

 to the front margin. What Butler calls the front legs are their hind legs, 

 and the club of the autenna, where it exists, must be the last thing to 

 describe. In speaking of a branched vein like the median it is in accord- 

 ance with common sense to call the first branch emitted the first and not 

 the third ; therefore in this vein the branches in this vein have to be 

 counted upwards, but this is no excuse for counting the last emitted branch 

 of the subcostal vein as first. Therefore Mr. Butler says that the number 

 system, although easy to learn, is unreasonable, and (excepting in the case of 

 very careful observers) worse than useless." The following new genera are 

 indicated : — Tristrophis, Gonorihus, Sermopteris, Sepheloleuca, Thinopteryx, 

 Xeroj teryx, and .Eschropteryx. 



