[June 1883. BULLETIN BROOKLYN ENTOM. SOC. VOL. IV. 19 
pieces of bark with the bastsides together will sometimes do also, but the 
best plan with these larvee is to leave them in the wood till they are nearly 
fullgrown; then the whole transformation takes place in two weeks. 
Larvae of dung-beetles are taken home with a part of the earth 
above which they live and part of nearly dried odorless cowdroppings under 
which they hide. But here the greatest care has to be taken not to over- 
look the very numerous smal] S/aphylinidae and carabidous larvee that live 
with — or rather on -— those Scarabaeidous larvee, 
On the Anatomy of the N. A. Noctuidae. 
Part I. The Legs. 
By John B. Smith. 
Recent studies on the anatomy of the Voctuzdae begun while prepar- 
ing my synopsis of the genera, have revealed to me peculiarities of struc- 
ture, which while probably known to others seem never to have been 
noted in any publication, I have therefore made a study of each part of 
the Wocfwd anatomy with the view of bringing together, and adding to, 
what is known of the subject, and the results of my observations I shall 
give in a series of papers of which this is the first. 
The legs of the Noctuidae as in the other imsecfa consist of: 
The Coxae or that part of the leg nearest to the body which varies 
in size and proportion in each pair of legs. The anterior are always 
largest, and have the greatest degree of mobility : this in the typical Moc— 
tua (Agrotis, Hadena) is exceedingly limited, but in the lower groups and 
especially the De/tordae becomes more extensive. The middle and post- 
erior co.xvae are practically immovable, and even in the lowest groups mo- 
bility seems only to be in one direction they are always much smaller 
than the anterior pair, and never become abnormally developed as do 
the latter. 
The frochanter is situated between the coxa and femur and is the 
smallest and least prominent part of the leg and serves principally to give 
a greater range of mobility to it, and as the anterior legs are always most 
used, and best developed, it is in this pair that it can best be observed : 
its variations are exceedingly small and of no importance whatever to 
. the systematist. 
