

50 BRITISH MOTHS 
colour, and a dark streak towards the costa, more or less apparent, but which are occasionally entirely 
wanting; the hind wings are paler, and brownish in the male, but whitish-grey in the female. The 
head and thorax are of the same colour as the upper wings, the abdomen very long, and of a greyish-white 
colour. The female differs only in being of a large size, and in having the antenne slightly dentated throughout 
the whole length, instead of being filiform at the tip, and cottony at the base, as in Z. A‘sculi 2. 
The caterpillar has not the body spotted as in Z. Aisculi, and the pupa has a prominent point at the front 
part of the head, like that of Nonagria. 
We are indebted to H. Doubleday, Esq., for the introduction of this addition to our Fauna, that gentleman 
having found a specimen floating on the surface of standing water in Epping Forest, last summer. 
The appearance of this insect is very unlike that of the typical species ; whence, as well as from the difference 
in the larva, pupa, and female antennz, Boisduval thinks it probably belongs to a distinct genus. Having, 
however, carefully examined Mr. Doubleday’s male with the male of Z. Aésculi, no material characters presented 
themselves to warrant its generic separation. The veins of the wings are differently arranged to those of the 
type as represented in our Plate 9, figure 5, inasmuch as the yein which closes the discoidal cell is simply arched 
instead of being several times angulated ; but I find that the male of Z. Aisculi differs in this respect considerably 
from the female, and closely approaches the male of Z, Arundinis in the arrangement of these veins. 


FAMILY VI.—BOMBYCIDAL, Srepuens. 
(Tribes, Bombycini, and Saturnides, Boisduval, Gen. et Ind. Meth.) 

This family corresponds with Latreille’s section Bombycites, as established in the second edition of the 
Régne Animal, and comprises some of the most gigantic insects of the entire order, which are generally distin- 
guished by the obsolete structure of the mouth, which is often destitute of palpi; and the maxilla when present 
are so short and weak as to be useless for the ordinary purposes of a spiral tongue. The body is very thick 
and hairy; the antenne of the males generally very strongly bipectinated to the tip; and the wings are 
large and broad, and either extended horizontally or deflexed at the sides. The thorax is not crested. The 
larvee are sixteen-footed, having six pectoral, eight ventral, and two anal feet ; they never inhabit: portable 
cases, and their food consists of the leaves of various plants. They inclose themselves in cocoons of pure silk, 
frequently of a firm and rigid texture like an egg, and which is rarely subterranean. ‘The pupe are not armed 
with transverse rows of rigid reflexed points upon the abdominal segments. The males, according to Mr. 
Stephens, generally fly swiftly in the day-time, from about noon to about four or five o'clock in the afternoon, 
and again in the evening ; but the females are very sluggish and inactive. The prevailing hues are grey, brown, 
or fawn-colour ; and many of the larger species have the wings ornamented with eye-like transparent spots. 

