NOTES ON ACENTROPUS mYEV 8. —Concluded, 

 By G. B. Corbin, Ring wood. 



Let us see : the wings of Acentropus are clothed with scales — 

 whence the name of the order to which it is now generally referred. 

 This fact, alone, however, does not prove its identity, as some 

 coleoptera have scales on them — and so have gnats, &c., — upon 

 their wings ; so that even the term " lepidoptera " for butterflies 

 and moths, does not describe them to the exclusion of all other 

 classes of insects. Again, Acentropus has what are called " thoracic 

 tippets," which are appendages on each side of the thorax of the 

 insect, at the base of the wings above. This peculiarity, too, does 

 not hold good in every lepidopterous insect ; furthermore, Acentropus 

 has a bristle at the base of the hind wing, erect hair scales at the base 

 of the fore wings on the under side. The position of the wing veins, 

 and the formation of the mouth (though tongueless), all point to a 

 typical lepidopterous character rather than to the phryganid(E. Other 

 more minute peculiarities pointing to the same conclusions might be 

 adduced, but let the above suffice. One other fact, however, I have 

 noticed, and cannot pass over — viz., when the insect is at rest, the 

 antennse are folded back over the thorax, similar to a habit of the 

 whole moth family, as far as I have observed ; but when a caddis-fly 

 is at rest, these organs are pointing directly forward. 



So much, then, for some of the characters which our insect possesses 

 in common with the lepidoptera ; but it has other peculiarities in 

 which it differs from both the lepidoptera and phryganidas. Take its 

 flight, for instance. As a rule it never seems to leave the water — 

 (though I have seen one or two flying several feet above the surface) 

 — but flutters its tiny wings very rapidly, and darts about like a 

 swimming creature in circles here and there, its feet touching the 

 surface through the whole movement. Again : dip a moth or caddis- 

 fly into the water, and on taking it out, see what a caricature of its 

 former self it presents ; it is not so, however, with Acentropus, as I 

 have seen it with only just its head above the surface, or in such a 

 position that each ripple of the water immersed it. A ducking seems 

 to do it little or no harm. Flying so close to the water, or settling 

 on the wet mud at its margin, it is not an easy insect to take in 

 the evenings, when on the wing ; but in the daytime it is very 

 lethargic, and soon dies when removed from the proximity of water. 



