218 
ALCIS SCOLOPACEA. 
PLATE XXVH. Fi?. 2. 
Phal. Noel scolopacea, Drury, Exot. Ins., vol. ii. pi. 22, fig. 1. 
— Alcio, Curtis. — Boarmia, Treit. 
The above is a very fine foreign example of a genus 
containing a good many British moths, which, ac- 
cording to Mr. Curtis, may be distinguished from 
Bupalits^ to which it is nearly related, by the males 
being invariably smaller than the females ; the eyes 
larger, not so distant in front ; the palpi more por- 
rected, shorter, and not hairy, the maxillae very 
long, the antennae not pectinated at the apex. The 
posterior legs are long, robust, and hollow, furnished 
with two pair of spurs, a longitudinal suture, and a 
tuft of long silky hair arising at the base, and con- 
cealed in the tibia when at rest. Many Lepidoptera 
have their legs, especially the posterior, furnished 
with brushes of hair, but in no instance are they 
more curiously disposed than in Alcis. It is con- 
jectured that they are designed to assist in balancing 
the body when in flight 
A . scolopacea is a native of Jamaica ; measuring 
nearly three inches and a half between the tips of 
