﻿IV. 
  PEEFACE. 
  

  

  leads 
  us 
  to 
  suspect 
  that 
  this 
  supposed 
  southern 
  parvidactyla 
  is 
  referable 
  

   to 
  the 
  so-called 
  var. 
  marginellus, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  possibly 
  a 
  

   distinct 
  species, 
  as 
  Zeller 
  half-a-century 
  ago 
  surmised. 
  We 
  also 
  

   found, 
  from 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  stages, 
  a 
  wide 
  difference 
  between 
  

   Capper 
  ia 
  (lieterodactyla) 
  and 
  Oxyptilus 
  {parvidactyla) 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  

   similarity 
  of 
  the 
  imagines 
  in 
  everything 
  but 
  size 
  ; 
  whilst 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  

   the 
  $ 
  genital 
  organs 
  shows 
  a 
  great 
  separation 
  between 
  Buckler 
  ia 
  

   pallidum 
  and 
  Stangeia 
  siceliota, 
  two 
  species, 
  often, 
  on 
  the 
  strength 
  of 
  

   the 
  similarity 
  of 
  their 
  wing-structure, 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  genus. 
  

   Of 
  0. 
  pilosellae 
  we 
  know 
  practically 
  nothing, 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  never 
  

   yet 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  tell, 
  by 
  breeding, 
  whether 
  the 
  insect 
  we 
  get 
  in 
  

   Britain 
  is 
  really 
  the 
  same 
  that 
  Zeller 
  reared 
  from 
  Hieracium. 
  

   Chapman's 
  discoveries 
  of 
  great 
  differences 
  in 
  the 
  $ 
  genital 
  organs 
  of 
  

   the 
  otherwise 
  almost 
  inseparable 
  species 
  of 
  Marasmarcha 
  are 
  most 
  

   striking, 
  and 
  open 
  up 
  quite 
  new 
  ground 
  in 
  the 
  specific 
  determination 
  

   of 
  what 
  have 
  hitherto 
  been 
  considered 
  of 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  doubtful 
  

   local 
  races. 
  Distinct 
  differences 
  in 
  the 
  <? 
  genital 
  organs 
  of 
  Amblyptilia 
  

   cosmodactyla, 
  Hb. 
  {acanthodactyla, 
  Tr.), 
  and 
  A. 
  punctidactyla, 
  Haw. 
  

   (acanthadactyla, 
  Hb.), 
  of 
  Gillmeria 
  pallidactyla 
  and 
  G. 
  ochrodactyla, 
  

   leave 
  no 
  manner 
  of 
  doubt 
  of 
  the 
  specific 
  distinctness 
  of 
  these 
  erstwhile 
  

   dubious 
  pairs 
  of 
  species, 
  whilst, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  almost 
  

   complete 
  similarity 
  of 
  these 
  organs 
  in 
  Adkinia 
  zophodactyla, 
  A. 
  

   coprodactylus 
  and 
  A. 
  var. 
  pneumonanthes, 
  makes 
  one, 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  

   degree, 
  somewhat 
  less 
  certain 
  of 
  their 
  specific 
  distinctness, 
  yet 
  the 
  

   comparative 
  ease 
  with 
  which 
  one 
  discriminates 
  the 
  imagines 
  of 
  these 
  

   species 
  leaves 
  one 
  in 
  no 
  real 
  doubt 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  abundantly 
  separate. 
  

  

  We 
  may 
  here 
  note 
  that, 
  since 
  this 
  volume 
  has 
  been 
  completed, 
  

   Mr. 
  G. 
  F. 
  Mathew 
  has 
  discovered 
  Adkinia 
  graphodactyla 
  var. 
  

   pneumonanthes 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  British 
  species. 
  About 
  this 
  species, 
  qua 
  species, 
  

   i.e., 
  as 
  graphodactyla, 
  there 
  is 
  very 
  grave 
  doubt, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  easy 
  to 
  

   say 
  certainly 
  what 
  was 
  graphodactyla, 
  Tr. 
  The 
  original 
  description 
  

   was 
  made 
  from 
  specimens 
  bred 
  from 
  larvae 
  found 
  feeding 
  on 
  Gentiana 
  

   lutea, 
  taken 
  by 
  Freyer 
  in 
  the 
  Bavarian 
  Alps, 
  the 
  only 
  species 
  since 
  

   bred 
  from 
  this 
  plant 
  being 
  certain 
  gigantic 
  Adkinias 
  reared 
  by 
  

   Chapman 
  from 
  larvae 
  found 
  thereon 
  at 
  Larche, 
  in 
  the 
  Basses-Alps. 
  

   Later 
  larvae, 
  taken 
  by 
  Freyer, 
  near 
  Augsburg, 
  on 
  Gentiana 
  verna, 
  were 
  

   possibly 
  those 
  of 
  coprodactylus, 
  and 
  not 
  graphodactyla 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  

   referred. 
  Frey's 
  graphodactyla, 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  collection, 
  

   are 
  apparently 
  first 
  brood 
  pneumonanthes, 
  his 
  plagiodactylus 
  being 
  merely 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  brood. 
  Specimens 
  sent 
  from 
  Staudinger 
  and 
  

   Bang-Haas 
  to 
  Chapman, 
  as 
  graphodactyla, 
  are 
  certainly 
  pneumonanthes, 
  

   but 
  Chapman 
  has 
  a 
  doubtful 
  specimen 
  from 
  the 
  " 
  Barrett 
  collection," 
  

   labelled 
  as 
  coming 
  from 
  Zeller, 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  original 
  species, 
  and 
  

   Hofmann 
  states, 
  in 
  his 
  Deutsch. 
  Pterophorinen, 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  bred 
  it 
  from 
  

   Gentiana 
  asclepiadea. 
  Still, 
  it 
  seems 
  necessary 
  here 
  to 
  mention 
  that, 
  

   to 
  us 
  at 
  present, 
  graphodactyla, 
  as 
  apart 
  from 
  pneumonanthes, 
  is 
  some- 
  

   what 
  of 
  a 
  myth. 
  

  

  There 
  have 
  been, 
  undoubtedly, 
  two 
  masters 
  in 
  this 
  group, 
  whose 
  

   work 
  stands 
  unrivalled, 
  and 
  far 
  beyond 
  that 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  workers. 
  

   These 
  are 
  Zeller 
  and 
  0. 
  Hofmann. 
  The 
  work 
  done 
  by 
  these 
  two 
  men 
  

   may 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  a 
  sound 
  basis 
  for 
  all 
  future 
  work. 
  Test 
  it 
  as 
  deeply 
  

   as 
  one 
  will, 
  one 
  is 
  struck 
  with 
  its 
  sterling 
  excellence, 
  and 
  one 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  wonders 
  how, 
  with 
  the 
  scanty 
  material 
  at 
  hand, 
  Zeller 
  always 
  

  

  