00 
LEPIDOPTERA. 
in repose, forming a well defined triangle; a long 
sharp snout, formed by the elongated palpi, is charac¬ 
teristic of many moths in this group, which includes 
Meal-worm moths, Pearl moths, from the peculiar lustre 
of the wings. These Snout moths may be seen in great 
numbers in grass fields intended to be mown, sporting 
themselves in the sunshine, and settling on the bents of 
grass, head-down wards, where they remain stationary and, 
owing to their inconspicuous colouring, difficult of de¬ 
tection. The China-mark moths (. Hydrocampa ) belong 
to this same group. This genus is remarkable in the 
fact of the larvae being aquatic, hence the Greek name, 
“ Water-caterpillar,” which distinguishes it. 
“ Of all the Lepidoptera the Hydrocampidco are per¬ 
il aps the most extraordinary, so far as their methods of 
life are concerned. The moths fly and enjoy the air as 
much as any others, and cannot be distinguished from 
those whose caterpillars live on dry land. Their 
breathing apparatus is like that of other moths, and 
they have the habits of the other night-flyers. But 
the caterpillars live in the water, surrounded by a great 
bubble of air, and others positively have gills or bran- 
chice, and are surrounded and bathed by water. This 
is a most extraordinary fact, for the moths which are 
produced by metamorphosis from these caterpillars re¬ 
semble each other to a great extent, and it shows how 
slight the distinction may be between aquatic and air- 
breathing animals, and how nearly the origin of the 
separate conditions maybe allied.”* The pupa is en¬ 
closed in a cocoon, the case of the larva. The China 
* Transf. of Insects, p. 132. 
