FUMEID AE. 277 



were a branch from the stem that connects the Luffiids and Epichnop- 

 terygids (for the short anterior tibial spurs suggest strongly that the 

 Epichnopterygids are directly derived from the Luffiid stem), but it is 

 just in this character that Proutia fails, for its anterior tibial spurs are 

 intermediate in their development between the short-spurred Luffiids 

 and the longer-spurred Fumeids, and one is forced to the conclusion that 

 it must have branched almost directly from the same point as that at 

 which the Epichnopterygids left the Fumeids, specialising itsneuration 

 in the direction of the former and its anterior tibial spurs in the 

 direction of the latter. It seems, however, extremely unlikely that we 

 are here precisely at the dividing of the ways, and much more likely 

 that the division took place still further back. This view is to some 

 extent confirmed when we find Liif/ia on the Epichnopterygid side 

 still with " Micro " characters, and Diswctena on the Fumeid (or 

 Psychid) side, still clearly a Taleporiid in many of its characters ; nor 

 must it be overlooked that at least one Fumeid genus, Bruandia, com- 

 prises species with short anterior tibial spurs. 



It is, of course, quite conceivable that this bifurcation in similar 

 organisms, under: similar changes of environment, took place over and 

 Over again, and that the differences between Proutia and Fiimea are 

 simply one instance of such an evolutionary movement unconnected 

 with any other. It is difficult, however, on this hypothesis, even in 

 view of the few transitional forms that we so far have explored, to 

 conceive this to be possible, without postulating that, on occasion, 

 species of the one branch gave rise to some of those on the other, a 

 much more unpromising view of the matter for acceptance. We are 

 still in doubt whether it would not have been wiser to have accepted 

 the Epichnopterygids as the terminal of the Luffiid stem, with Proutia 

 and Fumea representing two equally independent branches of the same 

 stem, the Proutiids low down and more generalised, the Fumeids 

 higher and more specialised, and leading more directly to the higher 

 Psychids (as represented by AcanthopsycJie, Oreopstjche, &c). 



The Proutiids, in the structure and covering of their cases, have a 

 position somewhat intermediate between the Luffiids and the Fumeids. 

 The males of_ all this family appear to fly by day, but the female 

 crawls from her case and sits on the outside, her ovipositor, however, 

 within the case,- until fertilisation, after which she lays her eggs within 

 the empty pupal skin, which is left within the puparium. We may see 

 here a very definite step towards the specialisation that has taken 

 place in the female of the higher Psychids. The Taleporiid $ sits 

 not only quite outside her case, but it is not till after fertilisation that 

 she searches for the opening of her case for oviposition. The Fumeid 

 $ makes sure of having this opening when wanted by keeping her 

 ovipositor within the mouth of the pupal case, raising it only for the 

 few moments required for fertilisation. Failure so to raise it is clearly 

 a first step to the $ remaining entirely within the case. The habits 

 of the Fumeid female, therefore, whilst linking it with the Taleporiids, 

 at the same time show a distinct progression towards those of the 

 higher Psychids whose females remain within the puparium. The 

 male pupa is, of course, partly protruded before the emergence of the 

 imago, but the female pupa remains in the case and the eggs are laid 

 in the empty pupa-skin. The male pupa, which has not the dorso- 

 anal spikes (characteristic of the Taleporiids), is provided with the two 



