THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



[July 



longitudinal lines, which, in many individuals are absent, in others, 

 so strongly marked as to hide the ground colour. Perhaps the most 

 reliable descriptions of the species of this group are those by Mr. 

 G. T. Porritt ; Mr. Gregson has described several ; and many have 

 been re-described by Mr. South in his series of " Contributions to the 

 Pterophori," which have appeared from time to time in the " Entomo- 

 logist," Vols. XIV — XXI. A series of plates accompanying the latter 

 papers might have been much better than they are. The food-plant is 

 generally well done, the larvae and pupae fairly, but the imagines are 

 in many intances scarcely recognisable. 



Although not generally known, many of the species of this group 

 are double-brooded, or otherwise hybernate. Those lepidopterists 

 who know that some particular species is double-brooded, are apt to 

 think that everyone else knows it, and hence we get scarcely any record 

 of the fact. Many species are out continuously for months, thus tetva- 

 dactylus was out last year (1888) from May 24th to September 1st. Mr. 

 Porritt, " Entomologist," XV., p. 262, mentions serotinus as occurring 

 continuously from May to October, near Huddersfield. There is no 

 doubt that these are continuously brooded and that many of the later 

 specimens are the progeny of the early specimens of the same season. 

 The second (or perhaps third) brood of monodactylus (pterodactylus ) I 

 have taken freshly emerged on the 6th of November in my own 

 garden. 



Alucita polydactyla is known to hybernate in the imago state, so 

 also does monodactylus, cosmodactylus, and acanthodactyhts, probably others 

 do, but practically nothing is known of the way in which the various 

 species pass the winter. 



Although the following notes are written with the main idea of 

 being of service to beginners, yet I have not thought fit to leave out 

 references and other matters of detail which may make them more 

 widely useful. For this reason I have also treated the various species 

 in proper scientific order. These preliminary notes will, I trust, be 

 sufficiently lengthy to enable those who are taking the group for the 

 first time, to pin and set their specimens satisfactorily, the matter of 

 identity can then be readily settled afterwards. 



(To be continued.) 



