497 
[Packard. 
It will be seen by the following review that the North American 
Bombyces in general, with the exception of the Arctians and Litho- 
sians, live on trees, and this will in general apply to the old world 
species. In the group of Lasiocampidae, represented by Tolype, 
Artace, Heterocampa, Gastropacha and Clisiocampa, the station 
is an arboreal one, none being known to feed on herbaceous plants. 
All the Ceratocampidse, all the Hemileucini and Attaci, the Pla- 
typtericidse, all the Cochlidise (Limacodes) including both the naked 
and spiny genera, as well as the Psychidse, live exclusively on 
trees. Of our North American Liparidse, all are arboreal in sta- 
tion, except the Californian Orgyia vetusta , which lives on the 
lupine. Finally we come to the Arctians and Lithosians, whose 
hairy, or rather setose, larvae in general feed on herbaceous plants, 
and sometimes on trees, being in many cases omnivorous, while 
those of the Nolidae and Nycteolidae, whose history is known, are 
arboreal. 
Of the Zygaenidae, including the “ Ctenuchidae,” the species are 
low-feeders, living on lichens, grasses and other low plants, or 
upon vines. The Dioptid genus Phryganidia feeds on the oak. 
Of the Agaristidae, some are low-feeders, Euscirrhopterus gloveri 
feeding on Portulacca, while the majority prefer vines ( Vitis , etc.). 
As to the boring habits of the Hepialidae and Cossidae, which we 
now consider as independent groups, standing between the Sesii- 
dae and the Castniidae, rather than belonging to the superfamily 
Bombyces ; these seem to be the result of comparatively recent 
adaptation. 
An examination of the food-plants of the British species of 
Bombyces, taken from Stainton’s manual of British butterflies and 
moths (1857), gives the same results for the Old World, as will be 
seen by the following statements : — 
Nolidce. — Of the three British species, two feed on the oak, and 
one on the hawthorn and sloe. 
Liparidce. — Of the twelve species all feed on trees and shrubs, 
except Lcelia coenosa , which lives on reeds and other water plants. 
It is tufted. 
Notodontidce. — Of twenty-four species, one ( Diloba cceruleoceph- 
ala , which is smooth, with no protuberances) feeds on the haw- 
thorn and other plants. 
Platyptericidce. — Of the six species, five feed on trees, and one 
on a shrub. 
PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H. VOL. XXIV 32 JUNE, 1890. 
