430 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



in our parks during the day ; they are possessed by the males of 

 the " grey daggers," Acronycta tridens and psi, and by those of the 

 brown Hadena rurea, basilinea, polyodon, satura, ophio gramma, 

 hepatica, unanimis and scolopacina, Melanehra brassicce and persi- 

 cari<z; by those of Aporophyla nigra, Dipterygia pinastri, and 

 Aplecta nebulosa. Mr. Pierce finds that the male of the minute 

 Mianafuruncida, whose caterpillar feeds in the stems of the Festuca 

 arundinacea, has these scent-fans, which suggests their use, was 

 discovered in the fens, where the Nonagria, ancestral forms of the 

 straw-coloured group, as would appear, in like manner emerge 

 from the stems of reeds and bulrushes. The plumes of Lamphygma 

 exigua, as portrayed by Mr. Pierce, are found at the extremity of 

 the hind body unusually developed ; they are inconspicuous or 

 absent, according to the same authority, from the flat-bodied 

 Noctuidce, the "darts" and " yellow underwings " that fly out 

 of hayricks ; and I have not noticed that the night moths 

 with lichen-mottled wings possess them ; if the sweetly pretty 

 " peach blossom " has also scented puffs, they may extend to the 

 Notodontidce. " Swifts" and a large number of the Geometers, 

 the world over, carry their fans on their hind legs, and the 

 " coloured underwings," placed among the night-fliers, have 

 them on the second pair. I conclude it is from its habit of 

 thrusting these forward when at rest on the elms and willows 

 that Catocala concumbens, whose dainty pink renders it con- 

 spicuous among the North American " red underwings," has been 

 said to have them on its front ones. Ought not its name to be 

 pronounced " concubens" '? I have recently found that Melipolis 

 sinualis, a North American moth, has scent-fans continued in 

 pockets on its second pair of legs. Other Noctuina, especially 

 those of the genus Plusia, are adorned with a metallic glitter of 

 spangles, but as all the moths have a more or less visible ear- 

 cavity, with cells, drums, and attached ganglia on either side at 

 the base of the abdomen, it would not be surprising to hear that 

 they held sweet converse. An American entomologist says of Cato- 

 cala parta, one of the " red underwings " frequenting the willows 

 of Iowa at the close of the summer, " that it is the wariest of the 

 genus, resting usually head up, hearing well, and taking flight 

 at the snapping of leaves under foot." I quote from the 'Ento- 

 mological News ' of Philadephia for January, 1909 ; and I might 



