﻿THE SEXES OF LEPIDOPTERA. 337 



only the extreme tip of the terminal joint visible ; antennae 

 pale grey, the basal joint thickened and greyish white. Anterior 

 wings with the costa somewhat rounded (in the male speci- 

 mens before me these have almost the form of a flattened 

 ellipse, though this peculiar shape is less marked in the female) ; 

 grey, with the nervures darker, especially those between the end 

 of discoidal cell and the apex of the wing ; hind margin spotted 

 with dark grey. In the male specimen the costal portion of the 

 wing has an ochreous tinge towards the base. Cilia pale grey, 

 with the extreme tips a little darker. Posterior wings pale grey, 

 somewhat transparent towards the anal angle ; cilia paler grey. 

 Thorax in front whitish grey, then grey, concolorous with the 

 anterior wings. Legs pale grey." — (Stainton.) 



Introduced by Dr. Knaggs in 1866. 



British Localities. — Dover; London; York. 



Note. — The original specimens, described by Mr. Stainton, 

 were bred by Mr. Hind, of York, from dried currants. Mr. 

 Barrett, writing in 1875, says that he found the species common 

 in grocer's fruit warehouses, on September 21st, 1874 ; and, as 

 he had previously met with two examples on July 31st of the 

 same year, he concluded that they were probably stragglers of an 

 early brood. This species is probably now in most collections. 



THE SEXES OF LEPIDOPTERA. 

 By T. D. A. Cockeeell. 



In Entom. xxii. 177, I referred to the dwarfing of Lepidoptera 

 produced by insufficient food, and quoted Mr. T. G. Gentry's 

 opinion that a preponderance of males could be produced in this 

 way, suggesting also that those who possessed dwarfs should 

 examine them and report on the sex. 



M. Alfred Wailly (Entom. 120) took exception to this view, 

 and stated it as his experience that any preponderance of males 

 observed at any time among dwarfs was purely accidental, and 

 that he had found both sexes well represented when breeding 

 from small cocoons. He did not seem to believe that the sex of 

 insects could be influenced in any way. 



While M. Wailly's evidence as to the sexes of dwarfs is very 

 valuable, it must still be remembered that all animals which, 

 when adult, have the sexes separate, are at a certain stage of 

 larval or embryonic life potentially hermaphrodite ; and it really 

 becomes a sort of choice which group of organs, male or female, 

 shall be developed. Gynandromorphs are those in which one 

 side has developed male peculiarities, and the other female ; such 

 are well known among Lepidoptera. A snail is a true herma- 

 phrodite, with both sets of organs functional. 



