#rici:mHl Articles. 



THE BRITISH PYRALES.* 



By G. T. Porkitt, F.L.S. , 



I HAVE thought it advisable to give a short paper on the British 

 representatives of the order of moths known as the Pyrales, as I fear 

 the group is perhaps a little neglected by the generality of lepidopterists 

 of this Society. Not that I have much to advance that is new — 

 indeed the first thing that strikes me on commencing to write is how 

 very little I really know, and still less from personal observation, about 

 the order myself, for notwitL standing that I have professed to take the 

 group in hand, more particularly during this and last season, I feel 

 that I have made but little progress beyond getting a tolerable show 

 of specimens in my cabinet. 



To come more directly to the subject, the Pyrales form the ninth 

 order of British lepidopterous insects. According to the late Mr. 

 Doubleday's catalogue it is comprised of twenty-seven genera, con- 

 taining in all seventy-six British species. Taking them altogether 

 they are a rather showy lot of insects, indeed many of them are very 

 pretty ; whilst in the most soberly-attired species the arrangement of 

 colours is for the most part very neat. The fact before alluded to, 

 therefore, that comparatively little attention is given to them by 

 macro-lepidopterists generally is somewhat remarkable. I think it is 

 to be accounted for, to some extent, from the circumstance that the 

 order comes nearly at the end of the macro lepidoptera, and the 

 species being for the most part rather small, by the time the collector 

 , has pretty well worked the earlier orders, and reached the Pyrales, he 

 begins to think about studying the micro-lepidoptera, and these soon 

 become so fascinating, that the Pyrales and the Crambites (the 

 following order) are skipped over. Moreover, they are rather unsatis- 

 factory in other respects, many of them being exceedingly difficult to 

 breed, as the larvas are rarely found, and the female moths baffle all 

 means tried to induce them to deposit their eggs. As a consequence 

 the larvae, and even the food of many, including some of the com- 

 monest species, are absolutely unknown. However, be the reason 

 what it may, the fact remains that, except amongst the Crambites, 

 less is known of the life-history of the Pyrales than of any other 

 family of the lepidoptera. 



N. S., Vol. ii.— Dec, 1876. 

 * Prepared for Huddersfleld Naturalists' Society's Meeting, Oct. 28tlj, 1876, 



