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tenJing to illustrate the Natural History of two Annulose Genera, 

 namely Urania of Fabricius and Mygale of VValckeniier : by VV. S. 

 MacLeay, Esq." 



Adverting in the first place to the doubts which prevail among 

 entomologists as to the true situation in nature of the genus Urania, 

 Mr. MacLeay proceeds to contribute towards the elucidation of the 

 problem, the history of one species which appears to hira to be 

 possibly new. He characterizes it as 



Urania FERiVANDiN/"E. Ur. alis nigris, anticis utrinque lineis 

 transversis auro-viridibus supra undecim, septimd bifida, subtHs 

 sex humeralibus latis, septim'i bifidd, ocfavd longissimd trifidd, 

 reliquis apicalibus ftliformibiis ; posticis snpril fascid hand ser- 

 ratd et lineis octo brevibus lateralibus transversis auro-viridibus, 



Exp. alarum 4 — 4l unc. 



Hab. in Cuba. 



Mr. MacLeay describes in great detail the perfect insect, and 

 points out, as far as printed descriptions and figures exhibit them, 

 (he having at present no access to cabinets,) the marks which di- 

 stinguish Ur. Sloanus, Godart, and Ur. Boisduvalii, Guer.> from the 

 Cuban species. He conceives, however, from the many variations 

 that he discovers in it, that this insect may be merely a variety of 

 Ur. Sloanus, to which species Ur. Boisduvalii may also possibly 

 be referred as a small variety. 



The coast of Cuba, in every open sandy part of it, is girt imme- 

 diately above the coral reefs by a copse belt, close and nearly im- 

 penetrable, composed of almost one species of tree, the sea-side 

 Grape, Coccoloba uvijera, Linn. At the base of this belt grow vari- 

 ous Eiiphorbiacea: and Convolvuli ; and behind it the parched sand 

 supports many sea-side shrubs, including Palms, Ccesalpinice, Cacti, 

 &c., festooned with tiie flowers of Convolvuli, Echites, and other 

 climbing plants : the leaves are studded with small terrestrial shells, 

 and large sea-shells, brought from their original element by the 

 singular Paguri which have usurped them, cluster round the short 

 stunted trunks. 



Among the shrubs of these sands the most interesting is Ompha- 

 lea triandra, the cob or hog-nut of Jamaica, a Euphorbiaceous 

 plant, but affording a most delicious and wholesome kernel: its 

 upper leaves ai-e large, heart-shaped, and thick, having a leathery 

 texture and scabrous pale green .surface ; the young leaves and 

 those of young plants have the same texture and colour, but differ 

 remarkably in form, being deeply incised, with their divisions long 

 and narrow, particularly the middle one, and all more or less den- 

 tated on the sides On the upper side of the entire leaves of this 

 shrub torpidly reposes during the day, under a transparent web 

 which protects it from the powerful rays of the sun, a caterpillar, 

 which at night becomes active and greedily strips the Omphalea of 

 its foliage : this is the larva of Ur. Fernandince. 



The egg of this insect may be found, throughout the whole of the 

 spring, glued to the tender incised leaves of the Omphalea, scarcely 

 ever more than two being attached to a single leaf: it has a pearly 



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