176 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



C. Platysamia ceanothi female, paired P. cecropia male. 

 Besides these, other hybrids I know of in the Saturniidse are as 

 follows : — Platysamia Columbia crossed P. cecropia ; Saturnia 

 carpini crossed S. spini or vice versa, shown at the Entomo- 

 logical Society of London by the Hon. Walter Rothschild, June, 

 1892; Anthercea mylitta crossed ^.i/ama-mai and A.pernyisind A. 

 myiitta. I was offered ova of this hybridisation about four years 

 ago, I think; but if this was the exact cross I am not quite 

 certain. 



Of the life-habits, or descriptions of the larvse of these 

 hybrids, I can give no particulars beyond an abstract from Miss 

 Morton's letter dated November 3rd, 1892. Referring to selene- 

 luna she says : — " The larvae were very like luna, only more 

 richly coloured, and most of them were considerably larger than 

 any luna I ever saw ; the cocoons were very different from either 

 luna or selene, pale-coloured and silky, thinner even than luna, 

 and the hybrids are very beautiful, the males a great deal 

 handsomer than male luna, with very pointed primaries (like 

 selene), but the eye-spots a bright pink ; a few have the pink 

 streaks on the anal angles like selene, but most of them are only 

 whitish with the faintest blush only. The females are more like 

 female luna, only considerably larger, with the eye-spots all pink 

 instead of yellow." In regard to this thinner cocoon, it may be 

 thinner than luna, but not having any on hand I cannot say 

 whether they are heavier than either parents. Another point 

 and in which the hybrid differs from those of the Platysamia 

 group is shown in the same letter as follows : — " I was con- 

 siderably disappointed in the coming out of the moths in August 

 and September, instead of wintering over as luna does with us." 

 I have not yet examined the silk of these hybrids microscopically, 

 so cannot yet say if this will be intermediate between that of their 

 two parents. 



The moths are intermediate between their respective parents 

 in colour, shape, and markings, though there is a variation in the 

 specimens I have seen, towards either of their parents. The 

 selene-luna do not show in either of my specimens any trace of 

 the small oblique dash of red which runs from the costal nervure 

 on primaries to the ocellus as is seen in luna though not in 

 selene ; nor is there anything like an intermediate amount of the 

 beautiful white down on the bases of the wings found so plenti- 

 fully on selene. The male hybrid leans towards selene, and the 

 female towards luna. In hybrid B, gloveri-cecropia, I unfor- 

 tunately have not a specimen of gloveri to hand to give a minute 

 description of any intermediate variation ; the hybrids, however, 

 are slightly paler than cecropia, and the white bar between the 

 ocelli and the margin is with only the faintest trace of the red 

 outer edge so noticeable in cecropia. These bars in cecropia are 

 indented and curved, but in the hybrids are much less indented, 



