I1.—CHARACTERS AND STRUCTURE OF THE LEPIDOPTERA i 
crowded or otherwise obscured), the scales can be removed 
with the brush on the under surface in the locality of the 
difficulty only, without cutting cff the wing or otherwise 
damaging the specimen, which remains in the collection 
available for all purposes as before; with proper practice, 
even the smallest species are amenable to this treatment, 
which does not require more skill than the actual setting of 
the specimen. Some workers prefer to put a drop of 
benzine on the spot, which renders it temporarily trans- 
parent; the effect is short-lived, as the benzine evaporates 
rapidly, and the cilia (if long) are liable to be damaged by 
this method.’’* 
The following terms are used in describing the mark- 
ings on the fore-wings:—Basal streak, a short longitudinal 
streak in the middle near the insertion of the wing; basal 
line, a transverse line crossing the wing at about 4 the dis- 
tance from the base to the termen; the area between the 
basal line and the insertion of the wing is termed the basal 
patch; first line, a transverse line crossing the wing at 
about 4 the distance from the base to the termen; the space 
between the basal line and the first line may be referred to 
as the sub-basal area; second line, a similar line crossing 
the wing at about 4; the area between the first and second 
lines is known as the median band and in many families the 
following spots, termed stigmata, are situated thereon; the 
claviform, a conical-shaped spot on the outside of the first 
line, below the middle of the wing; the orbicular, a more or 
less round spot situated above the claviform, and the reni- 
form, a kidney-shaped spot situated above the middle of the 
wing just inside the second line. In some families, notably 

*Meyrick, Hand-book of British Lepidoptera, pp. 4-7. 
in the Noctwidae, an ill-defined shaded line crosses the 
middle of the fore-wings and is termed the median shade. 
The central portion of the wing is referred to generally as 
the disc; the space immediately outside the second line 
is called the subterminal area, and is often bounded by a 
line runnng more or less parallel to the termen called the 
subternunal line; the space beyond the subterminal line is 
known as the terminal area, and any markings situated 
on the termen itself are referred to as terminal dots, or 
terminal lines as the case may be. A pale, somewhat 
triangular patch, which is very often present at the tip of 
the fore-wing, is termed the apical patch (see Plate A., fig. 
22). The hind-wings are often devoid of any distinct 
markings, but when a definite pattern is present, the terms 
used in describing the fore-wings may also be applied to 
a description of the hind-wings. 
The Legs consist of the following joints (see Plate B., 
fig. 21): (1) cora, (2) trochanter, (3) femur, (4) tebra, 
(5) tarsus, (6) claw. The tarsus normally consists of five 
joints, but is more or less aborted when the leg is not em- 
ployed for walking. The spines (SS) on the tibia of the 
several legs vary considerably in size and number. They 
are often useful to the systematist for purposes of classifica- 
tion. The abdomen consists of nine segments, some of 
which are often fused together. It contains the various 
internal organs, of which the most important are those of 
Digestion and Reproduction. The Digestive System (Plate 
B., fig. 10) consists of the following organs: A, the 
esophagus, or throat; C, the sucking stomach; D, the 
ventriculus or stomach; E, the small intestine; G, the 
cecum; H, the colon; K, the malpighian tubes; N, the 
salivary vessels. 


