﻿PLATYPTILIA 
  GONODACTYLA. 
  217 
  

  

  upwards. 
  The 
  antennae 
  are 
  carried 
  under 
  the 
  wings. 
  After 
  

   emergence 
  the 
  wings 
  hang 
  vertically 
  from 
  the 
  thorax 
  during 
  the 
  

   process 
  of 
  drying, 
  as 
  in 
  most 
  lepidoptera. 
  In 
  pairing, 
  the 
  moths 
  rest 
  

   one 
  below 
  the 
  other. 
  The 
  female 
  rests 
  in 
  the 
  usual 
  manner 
  with 
  the 
  

   wings 
  spread 
  out 
  horizontally 
  and 
  the 
  abdomen 
  hanging 
  vertically 
  

   downwards. 
  The 
  male's 
  position 
  is 
  exactly 
  the 
  reverse, 
  his 
  abdomen, 
  

   hanging 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  female, 
  extending 
  vertically 
  upwards. 
  The 
  

   male 
  clings 
  to 
  any 
  neighbouring 
  object 
  with 
  the 
  prothoracic 
  legs, 
  but 
  

   his 
  whole 
  weight 
  is 
  borne 
  by 
  the 
  female 
  which 
  he 
  clasps 
  with 
  the 
  

   prensors. 
  They 
  remain 
  paired 
  many 
  hours 
  — 
  in 
  one 
  case 
  at 
  least 
  four 
  

   hours 
  and 
  forty 
  minutes, 
  from 
  11.50 
  p.m. 
  to 
  4.30 
  a.m. 
  This 
  pairing 
  

   may 
  have 
  continued 
  longer 
  but 
  the 
  moths 
  were 
  separated 
  at 
  8.30 
  a.m. 
  

   On 
  June 
  10th, 
  1904, 
  two 
  moths 
  were 
  found 
  paired 
  in 
  the 
  sleeve 
  at 
  

   9.15 
  a.m. 
  The 
  female 
  was 
  clinging 
  with 
  the 
  pro- 
  and 
  mesothoracic 
  

   legs 
  to 
  the 
  underside 
  of 
  a 
  leaf 
  of 
  Tussilago 
  farfara. 
  The 
  male 
  was 
  

   hanging 
  from 
  the 
  female 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  prensors. 
  The 
  metathoracic 
  

   legs 
  of 
  both 
  moths 
  were 
  extended 
  outwardly, 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  

   downwards, 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  upwards, 
  till 
  they 
  met 
  and 
  crossed, 
  

   but 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  appear 
  as 
  though 
  the 
  male 
  gained 
  any 
  support 
  by 
  these 
  

   means, 
  he 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  hanging 
  solely 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  claspers, 
  his 
  

   pro- 
  and 
  mesothoracic 
  legs 
  being 
  drawn 
  up 
  fairly 
  near 
  the 
  body 
  and 
  

   quite 
  unattached, 
  in 
  fact, 
  he 
  was 
  hanging 
  in 
  mid-air. 
  Both 
  moths 
  

   remained 
  apparently 
  motionless. 
  At 
  7 
  p.m., 
  they 
  were 
  still 
  in 
  contact, 
  

   and 
  when 
  last 
  seen, 
  at 
  10 
  p.m., 
  they 
  had 
  not 
  separated. 
  The 
  imago 
  is 
  

   readily 
  attracted 
  by 
  light, 
  and 
  Ave 
  have 
  seen 
  it 
  repeatedly 
  on 
  the 
  lamps 
  in 
  

   Westcombe 
  Park 
  and 
  at 
  Strood, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  noted 
  also 
  at 
  light 
  at 
  Lee 
  

   (Bower), 
  at 
  Seaton 
  (Still), 
  at 
  St. 
  Anne's-on-Sea 
  (Baxter), 
  at 
  Coxhorne 
  

   (Robertson), 
  at 
  Corsemalzie 
  (Gordon), 
  in 
  the 
  Glasgow 
  district 
  

   (Dalglish), 
  etc. 
  Bankes 
  observes 
  that 
  imagines 
  captured 
  June 
  4th, 
  

   1903, 
  in 
  the 
  Isle 
  of 
  Purbeck, 
  Dorset, 
  were 
  on 
  the 
  wing 
  between 
  

   7.40 
  p.m. 
  and 
  8.10 
  p.m. 
  Of 
  two 
  bred, 
  May 
  25th-26th, 
  1904, 
  from 
  

   Isle 
  of 
  Purbeck 
  pupae, 
  one 
  emerged 
  at 
  9 
  a.m., 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  between 
  

   9 
  a.m. 
  and 
  12 
  noon. 
  

  

  Habitat. 
  — 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  par 
  excellence 
  the 
  " 
  plume 
  " 
  of 
  w 
  T 
  aste 
  

   places, 
  and 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  most 
  places 
  where 
  its 
  foodplant 
  springs 
  up 
  — 
  

   on 
  railway 
  banks, 
  roadsides, 
  rough 
  ground, 
  and 
  the 
  many 
  almost 
  barren 
  

   places 
  which 
  appear 
  incapable 
  of 
  producing 
  anything 
  except 
  Tussilago 
  

   farfara, 
  in 
  England, 
  Scotland, 
  and 
  Ireland. 
  It 
  occurs 
  in 
  abundance 
  

   on 
  the 
  railway 
  banks 
  about 
  Gloucester 
  (Hudd), 
  at 
  Carlisle 
  (Day), 
  

   about 
  Aberdeen 
  (Reid), 
  and 
  at 
  Westcombe 
  Park, 
  and 
  other 
  places 
  in 
  

   the 
  London 
  district 
  (Tutt), 
  as 
  also 
  throughout 
  the 
  Clydesdale 
  district, 
  

   or 
  wherever 
  the 
  ground 
  has 
  been 
  recently 
  turned 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  district 
  

   (Dalglish), 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  rough 
  ground 
  at 
  Mansfield 
  (Daws), 
  on 
  road- 
  

   side 
  banks 
  at 
  Southend 
  (Whittle), 
  in 
  a 
  garden 
  at 
  Enfield 
  (Edelsten), 
  

   on 
  the 
  cliffs 
  at 
  Scarborough 
  (Farren), 
  on 
  the 
  steep 
  rough 
  limestone 
  

   cliffs 
  at 
  Llanferras 
  (Gregson), 
  on 
  the 
  old 
  breeze 
  heaps 
  in 
  the 
  brickfields, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Medway, 
  at 
  Strood. 
  in 
  the 
  chalkpits 
  at 
  

   Charlton, 
  and 
  almost 
  any 
  and 
  every 
  kind 
  of 
  waste 
  place 
  imaginable, 
  

   where 
  its 
  foodplant 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found. 
  Barrett 
  notes 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  still 
  

   common 
  in 
  the 
  suburbs 
  of 
  London, 
  where 
  the 
  coltsfoot 
  grows 
  on 
  

   railway 
  banks, 
  or 
  the 
  embankments 
  of 
  waterworks, 
  and 
  is 
  to 
  bo 
  found 
  

   commonly 
  in 
  suitable 
  places 
  throughout 
  England, 
  probably 
  also 
  in 
  

   Wales, 
  etc. 
  In 
  Germany, 
  it 
  occurs 
  in 
  similar 
  places 
  : 
  it 
  is 
  recorded 
  as 
  

   occurring 
  in 
  a 
  sandpit 
  at 
  Friedland, 
  in 
  a 
  chalkpit 
  at 
  Johannisberg 
  

  

  