io6 John Henry Comstock 



GGG. Moths in which the wings are usually delicate and 

 very finely scaled. There seems to be a marked tendency in 

 this family to a specialization of the humeral angle of the hind 

 wings, and correlated with this a tendency towards the reduc- 

 tion of the frenulum, especially in the females of certain gen- 

 era. This tendency', however, is a much later development 

 than the corresponding tendency with the Frenulum-losers. 

 A marked indication of the specialization of the humeral 

 angle of the hind wings which is exhibited by most genera of 

 this family is a bending forward into it of the basal part of 

 the subcosta and an elongation of the frenulum brace.* 

 Both of these features are well shown by Euphenessa (Figs. 

 20, 21), which doubtless belongs to this group, although 

 it is commonly placed elsewhere. Family Geometrid^. 



FFF. The Noctiw-Bojnbycids and the Noduids. — The mem- 

 bers of this group can be recognized by a tendency of the base 

 of vein Vj to migrate towards cubitus, and thus form a four- 

 branched cubitus, and an absence of the peculiar character- 

 istics distinctive of any of the families grouped under the next 

 division (FFFF). 



G. Here belongs a small family, which, although apparent- 

 ly closely allied to the Noctuidse, exhibits striking peculiari- 

 ties of development. There is no tendencj^ towards a uniting 

 of the subcosta and radius of the hind wings (PI. Ill, 4), a 

 tendenc}' shown in all other families of the Noctuo-Bombj-cid 

 division. The migration of the base of vein V^ is more marked 

 in the hind wings than in the fore wings, where it nearly or 

 quite preserves its primitive position. And the union of vein 

 V, of the hind wings with radius is by means of a compara- 

 tively long cross vein, so that veins III and V, appear to sep 

 arate before the apex of the discal cell. In the males the tip 

 of the frenulum is knobbed. The genus Leptina commonly 

 placed in this family belongs to the Noctuidse. 



Family Cymatophorid.B. 



GG. The four families that follow I have not yet studied 



* By the term frenulum brace I designate a sclerite situated on the 

 costal margin of the wing between the base of the frenulum and the 

 base of the wing. 



