32 
THE SUBSTITUTE. 
EXTRACTS. 
Notes on Noctcje; from 
Guenee’s Noctuelites. 
[Continued from p. 11.] 
LeucanidcE. 
This is so natural a family, that 
all the early writers on the group 
have themselves separated it. Yet, 
at first sight, it would seem to be 
divisible into two distinct fami- 
lies, especially were we to lay the 
greatest stress on the primary 
states of the insects. But, still, 
in taking this step we should 
meet some intermediate genera 
which would not fall under either 
absolute division. I will give the 
history of the two series. 
The larvae of the first series, or 
Leucanida: proper, are of pale 
colours, but yet distinct, generally 
flesh-coloured or yellowish, and 
streaked with a multitude of fine 
lines, amongst which the ordinary 
lines are the most distinct. They 
are entirely cylindric, and the 
head, which is slightly flattened, 
is rather retractile. They all live 
on grasses, and seek no other shel- 
ter than the centre of the tufts or 
tlie dry leaves which are most in 
their reach. They enter the earth 
in order to change to a chrysalis of 
the ordinary form, shining, and 
pointed at the tip. The jterfect 
insects generally participate in the 
pale colour of their lawoB ; their 
fore wings are sometimes without 
any markings, sometimes with the 
ordinary lines slightly indicated ; 
the stigmata are invisible, or re- 
duced to one or two little dots ; 
the wings are kept folded in a 
rather slo])ing roof; and the per- 
fect insect takes shelter in the 
herbage during the day; in the 
evening they fly tolerably rapidly: 
the two sexes are precisely similar 
in form. 
The larvre of the second series, 
or Nonagrida, have particular 
manners, which necessitate modi- 
fications in their organisation. 
They live closely enclosed in the 
stems of Qgjypracea, TyphacecE, or 
Gratnine(C, which grow' on the 
water’s-edge. Owing to this style 
of life they have a peculiar aspect. 
They are more elongate ; their skin 
is shining; their consistence soft, 
excepting the horny plates, which 
are very distinct. Almost de- 
prived of the colouring influence 
of light, they are dull, and as it 
were transj)arent, rarely w'ith lines, 
and slightly marked. Moreover, 
like all internal feeders, they have 
the spots half warty and lighter 
than the ground colour. Their 
pupae arc placed in the very stems 
where the caterpillars have lived. 
They have the abdominal portion 
very prolonged, but more obtuse 
than those of the preceding sec- 
tion. There is also some differ- 
ence in the perfect insect: the 
stigmata have a tendency to reap- 
pear, though the lines remain 
mostly obliterated ; the wings 
form a flatter roof, but the insects 
do not differ in their habits; the 
body has an extreme tendency to 
turn greasy, as is the case with all 
species the larvm of which feed in 
the interior of vegetables. The 
two sexes are habitually very dif- 
ferent ; the female, besides being 
much larger than the male, is ge- 
nerally of a paler colour ; the ab- 
domen is disproj)ortionately long 
and large. They lay an unusual 
quantity of eggs ; hence the speci- 
mens are generally very abundant 
