THE SUBSTITUTE. 
11 
Cus])is, bear considerable humps 
on the fourth and twelfth se{^- 
ments ; in some the head is small, 
and the anterior segments much 
attenuated (Strigosa, Ligustri), 
whilst in Megacephala the head 
and neck are disproportionably 
large. These modifications, how- 
ever, do not correspond with the 
facies of the perfect insects, and 
the genera Apatela and Sema- 
phora, which we used to separate 
from the larger genus Acronycta, 
have been completely upset by an 
investigation of the exotic species. 
The larvae of Acronycta feed on 
all sorts of plants, and in all 
seasons, though principally in 
autumn : they remain always ex- 
posed, not seeking any shelter, and 
are easily found ; they are gene- 
rally rather sluggish. The per- 
fect insects do not differ in their 
habits from other Noctua ; they 
are often found at rest on the 
trunks of trees, near the spot 
where they have emerged from 
the pupa state. The species of 
this genus ai'C closely allied ; and 
it is necessary to observe the 
transformations with great care to 
separate species which are really 
distinct, and to unite the nume- 
rous varieties which have been 
named as distinct species by 
various authors. (Vol. I., pp. 41, 
42.) — 
Anlhrocera Minos. — I left Dub- 
lin on the 17ih June, and took up 
my head quarters at Kinvara, a 
seaport town in the county of Gal- 
way, not many miles from Gori, 
and minutely examined all the 
ground between Kinvara and Ty- 
rone for two days wilbout meeting 
a single specimen of Anlhrocera. 
At the beginning of my third 
days’ search it became quite ap- 
parent I was not in the proper 
locality, and I determined to go 
to Ardrahan at once. I spent the 
better part of a day there without 
the smallest success ; but on my 
way back to Kinvara 1 entered a 
large field, which was overgrown 
with Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi, 
Dryas octopetala, Sesleria ccerulea, 
Gentinna vema, and other plants, 
and, while stooping to gather the 
pretty Dryas octopetala, an A. 
Minos alighted quite passively on 
the flower. All my disappoint- 
ment was now over, for in the 
brief space of three or four hours I 
collected a very fair stock of spe- 
cimens. I observed that wherever 
A. Minos was to be found, there 
the plants that I have particu- 
larised were to be found also. 
One of its chief food-plants is 
Polygala vulgaris (the Anthrocera 
is called Polygalcehy Borkhausen), 
and this plant grows in the great- 
est abundance in all the fields 
here, and it seemed to be fed upon 
by its larvse. At the same time, 
it is most probable that it feeds on 
various other plants, as, if we can 
judge from Schiffermiiller and 
Denis’s account, it would not 
seem to be very particular. “The 
caterpillar,” say these authors, 
“feed on clover {Trifolium), Ve- 
ronica officinalis, Bnza minor, 
Cynosurus crislatus. Genista tinc- 
toria, and Thymus Serpyllum ; it 
is like that of a Scaliosce, but is 
pale yellow (not golden yellow as 
that), with two rows of twelve 
black spots. The cocoon is very 
convex, and of a brownish yellow 
colour; the pupa black-brown on 
the head, wing sheaths, and back, 
elsewhere yellowish. The fly ap- 
pears in three weeks, and is on 
the wing from the emi of June to 
