Zoological Society. 293 



groups (Coitus), founded almost entirely upon the form and marking 

 of the wings, appear to bring together the closely allied species. His 

 first tribe of the Bombycoid Nocturnal Lepidoptera is termed Sphin- 

 goid os, and contains five stirpes: — 1st, Bimorphce (Endromis, Chao- 

 nia, Petasia, &c.) ; 2nd, Ptilodontes (the Prominent Moths) ; 3rd, 

 Andrice (Stauropus, Centra, &c.) ; 4th, Platyptericides (Drepana, 

 Platypteryx, &c.) ; and 5th, Echidnce, composed of Aglaia and a 

 number of Saturnice. The second tribe of the Bombycoid Nocturnal 

 Lepidoptera is termed Verce, and consists of the remainder of the 

 Saturnice (S. Pavonia, Pyri, &c.) ; Apollonia, Cram. ; Maia, Drury ; 

 perspicilla, Stoll ; Cedo nulli, Cram. ; and Pandiona, Cram., in 

 separate coitus, forming a first stirps Hercece ; the remaining stirpes, 

 composed of the Penthophorce, Larice, Orgyice, Lithosice, Arctice, 

 Lasiocampce, Gastropachce, &c. ; and the third tribe of the Bombycoid 

 Lepidoptera being composed of Hepialus, Cossus, and Zeuzera. 



By this arrangement it will be seen that S. Pavonia, Pyri, &c, 

 and the other species above named, are separated from the great body 

 of the Saturnice, a step for which I can see no real grounds, the charac- 

 ters of those species in the preparatory and perfect states agreeing 

 with those of the stirps Echidnce far more intimately than with any of 

 the other Bombycoid Nocturna, constituting the tribe named Verce. 



Mr. James Duncan, in the volume of Exotic Moths forming part of 

 Sir W. Jardine's Naturalist's Library (vol. vii. 1841), has suggested 

 a mode of distribution of the Saturnice, founded upon the form of the 

 wings in the two sexes of the different species, of which the following 

 is a sketch : — 



1 . Those with the hind-wings rounded in both sexes. 



Genus 1 . Hyalophora [or the Speculares Attaci and Samice of 

 Hubner], with large vitreous spaces on the disc of the wings: 

 Atlas, Hesperus, Cecropia, iLc. 



Genus 2. Attacus, with eye-like spots on the wings, containing 

 the great majority of the species. 



2. Those with the hind-wings furnished with an angular projection 



posteriorly. 

 Genus 3. Arsenura [Rhescyntes of Hubner]. Hind-wings of 



male alone angulated. Sp. Erythrince, Fab. 

 Genus 4. Lomelia [Imbrasia of Hubner]. Hind- wings of both 



sexes angulated. Sp. Epimethea, Drury. 



3. Those with the hind -wings produced into a long tail. 



Genus 5. Actias, Leach [Tropcea, Hubner]. Tail about the 



length of the body. Sp. Luna, Linn. 

 Genus 6. Eustera [Eudcemonia, p. Hubner]. Tail very long ; 



apical margin of fore-wings rounded. Sp. Argus, Fab. 



Genus 7. Copiopteryx [Eudcemonia, p. Hiibner]. Tail very 



long ; fore-wings truncated. Sp. Semiramis, Cram. 



The application of the character derived from the variation in the 



form of the wings in the two sexes of the different species is a step 



gained in their arrangement ; it must however be admitted that the 



species with rounded hind- wings, forming Mr. Duncan's first section, 



must be cut up into a considerable number of subsections to place 



