110 THE CRACKLING MOTH. 



have seen it thus in the garden rockery, and in the Bukit 

 Timah forests. It leaves its resting spot about half past six 

 in the evening and betakes itself to an open road or path. 

 Here it flies briskly backwards and forwards, in the shadows, 

 and at such a pace that owing to this and its dark colour mak- 

 ing it so invisible, it is very difficult to capture. Often half 

 a dozen or so are dashing about the road at a time and they 

 keep to specially favoured spots, night after night. They do 

 not make any noise when flying about singly, but when two 

 are flying about chasing each other they produce the strange 

 crackling sound described above. Owing to the darkness it is 

 impossible to see how they do it, neither am I sure whether it 

 is effected by a pair or by two males only. I have only caught 

 males. They remain till it is actually quite dark, but 

 then seem to disappear. Xeither light nor cow-droppings 

 which are often attractive to moths engage their attention. 

 They keep just out of the light of the road lamps. When by a 

 lucky stroke one is secured in the net, it is usually very quiet 

 and does not flutter about, so that often one does not notice 

 at first that it is trapped, but so fast it flies and so hard one 

 has to strike at it that the insect is very apt to be damaged 

 by the concussion. 



It appears at the end of May. This habit of dashing 

 about the roads and its peculiar crackling noise, are not 

 shared with any other Nyctipaos as far as I know. , 



A larger species with brown wings ornamented with white 

 eyes, is one of our commonest moths and often comes to light. 

 It rests during the day under rocks or banks, or on beams in 

 sheds or houses and though rapid in flight when disturbed, 

 merely dashes from one hiding place to another, and I have 

 never met with it dashing about the road at night in the way 

 that N. hieroglyphica does. The latter is abundant in Sing- 

 apore and I have also mef with it in Pahang and other parts 

 of the peninsula, 



Nothing appears to be known of the life history of this 

 moth. 



H. N. Ridley. 



Jour, Straits Branch: 



