270 



duced by this hybridation show on the whole, as their caterpillars 

 have done, more of the character of B. cynthia than of B. arrindia. 

 They are larger; their abdomen is brown, with white tufts, — not 

 white, as in B. arrindia ; the band across their wings is edged with 

 rosy atoms instead of whitish-grey, as in B. arrindia : however, they 

 resemble this species inasmuch as their wings are of a browner and 

 deeper colour than those of B. cynthia. The species which pre- 

 dominates physically is B. cynthia ; but morally, so to speak, the 

 influence of the other species has been more strongly felt ; for the 

 hybrids of the two categories give caterpillars which, although re- 

 sembling those of B. cynthia, are less wild, or more domestic, which 

 assimilates them to the caterpillars of B. arrindia. These hybrids 

 take from B. arrindia the faculty of leaving their cocoons earlier, 

 without, however, continually coming out during winter; and it is 

 worthy of note that hybrids obtained from the female B. cynthia and 

 male B. arrindia have come out a few days earlier than the opposite 

 hybrids. 



" I may add that the hybrids are polyphagous, as nearly all the 

 Bomhyces are ; for they may be fed with teazel-leaves, as well as the 

 ordinary silkworms, which have been fed at all times with lettuce, 

 Scorzonera, goat's-beard, hind-weed, elm, rose-tree, and privet-leaves, 

 &c." — (Comptes Eendus, April 11, 1859 ; Reprinted in 'Annals of 

 Nat. Hist.' June 1859.) 



In conclusion, I beg to add a few references where additional re- 

 marks on silk-producing moths, more interesting to the general reader, 

 will be found, viz. in Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 1837, pp. 21, 38 ; Trans. 

 Linn. Soc. London, vol. vii. p. 33 ; Journal of the Agri-Horticultural 

 Society of India, vol. ii. pt. 2. p. 88 ; vol. ix. pt. 3. pp. 259, 391 ; 

 Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xvi. p. 68 ; Proc. Entom. Soc. Lond. for Dec. 

 1854 ; Journal of the Society of Arts for Feb. 6th, 1 857 ; the trans- . 

 lation from the Chinese of the works of Tseu-kwang-k'he, Shanghae, 

 1849 ; and the Report on the Raw Products of Southern India in 

 Madras Exhibition, 1858; Dr. Balfour's Cyclopaedia of India ; No- 

 land's History of the British Empire in India, pp; 211, 403. 



13. A. General Review of the Genus Terebra, and a De- 

 scription OF New^ Species. By Mons. Deshayes. 



Mr. Hinds, in 1844, published in the 'Thesaurus Conchyliorum ' 

 a very complete Monograph of the genus Terehra. When, ten years 

 afterwards, we studied this beautiful group of Molluscs in the magnifi- 

 cent collection of Mr, Cuming, we did not suppose that the number 

 of species would be considerably augmented ; but the actual fact 

 disabused us of this notion, for it was not without surprise we saw 

 the number of species had nearly doubled itself. 



Mr, Cuming proposed to put at our disposal all these valuable 

 materials, if we would undertake to publish them ; and we recognized 



