AMORPHIDI. 459 



Habits. — The resting-position of the $ that emerged September 

 2nd was similar to that usually adopted by A.populi, with the forewings 

 hanging back and the hindwings protruding far beyond the costa of 

 the anterior pair (Bacot). 



Time of appearance. — Hybridisation appears to hurry on the 

 emergence of the imagines, for, instead of the pupae going normally 

 over the winter, as do the pupae of the parent species, a very large 

 percentage emerges in the autumn. House, who first reared this 

 hybrid, notes (Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1842, pp. 193 — 194) that eggs 

 hatched in mid-June, 1837, 19 of the larvae therefrom pupated during 

 July, 1 2 of the imagines from these came out in August, the remaining 

 pupae going over the winter 1837 — 8. Hague observes {Ent. Wk. Int., 

 ii., p. 188) that eggs laid in June produced larvae that pupated in 

 July, 1857, ten imagines emerging between September 1st, 1857, and 

 the Thursday preceding that date. Adamson, on the other hand, 

 records (toe. eit, iv., p. 117) hybrids from eggs laid June, 1857, not 

 appearing as imagines until June, 1858; the pupae were kept out of 

 doors, but this he considers would matter little enough in July and 

 first week of August, when the hybrids usually mature. Galliers 

 notes (Joe. cit., viii., p. 75 and x., p. 100) eggs laid May 29th, i860, one 

 imago from the brood emerging June 23rd, 1861, all the rest of the 

 batch having emerged in the autumn of i860. Talbot observes 

 (Ent., v., p. 450) that he bred imagines in 1868, some of which were 

 only 22 days in the pupal state. It is quite clear from the record 

 that those bred by Stephenson (E. M. M., xi., p. 116) emerged in 

 August, 1874, from eggs laid that year, whilst Kirk's batch (Ent. 

 Ree., i., pp. 202 — 203) pupated at Dundee from July 20th — 27th, 1890, 

 and emerged between August 10th — 17th of that year; similarly, 

 those reared by Bacot in 1896, pupated July 21st and following 

 days, three emergences taking place between September 2nd — 15th, 

 1896, at Clapton. 



Tribe : Amorphidi. 



This is probably the most specialised tribe in the family. 

 There appear to be but two Palaearctic genera in the tribe, viz., 

 Triptogon and Amorpha. As seen in Amorpha populi, the egg 

 approaches spherical in outline, the surface reticulation very fine, 

 the cells slightly depressed with a minute central elevation. The 

 young larva of the outline of the adult, but rather longer and more 

 slender proportionally ; the larval head without the apical extension 

 seen in Smerinthus (ocellata), more triangular in outline in first 

 stadium ; the bifurcating hairs somewhat fish-tail-shaped at apex. 

 The puparium without silk, the pupa often exposed, the surface 

 rough, the bosses on either side of anus distinct ; anal spike very 

 short, slender and sharp. The imaginal frenulum, almost obsolete 

 and functionless. The heavy mode of flight, the non-feeding habit 

 of the imagines, and many other details of habit suggest a greater 

 modification from the original Sphingid phylum than do these 

 characters in the Sichiid and Smerinthid groups. 



Genus : Amorpha, Hiibner. 



Synonymy. — G-enus : Amorpha, Hb., "Tent.," p. 1 (1806) ; Kirby, " Cat.," 

 p. 710(1892); "Handbook," &c, iv., p. 58 (1897); Prout, " Ent.," xxxii., p. 60 

 (1899). Sphinx, Linn., " Sys. Nat.," 10th ed., p. 489 (1758) ; 12th ed., p. 797 



