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Show 580 MR. F. MOORE ON THE LEPIDOPTERA OF THE [Junel9, the three largest cygnets, and the white down was in course of moulted, flying off from the birds when they moved briskly ; the white frontal spot was still perceptible. On the 3rd August the smallest and most backward cygnet died, being still in the down with the exception of a slight indication of the tail-feathers; it was tinged with brownish-grey on the wings and tail, and more slightly on the head, but elsewhere was white throughout. On the 27th September another cygnet died : it had lost its down and was well feathered throughout; its general colour was white; but the head and back of the neck were tinged with greyish brown ; the feathers on the wing-coverts and back were also all more or less broadly tipped with a similar tint. The two surviving cygnets subsequently became pure white, but did not lose the greyish brown tint on the crown of the head till M a y 1877 ; and in fact one of them still (on June 4) retains traces of it. In the other bird it has been replaced by the ferruginous colour so common on the crown of the head of adult Swans, and which I think I have observed to be more conspicuous, in the ordinary race, in male than in female birds. The old pair have again hatched a brood this spring, six in number ; and the cygnets resemble those of last year, being of a pale greyish cinnamon-brown on the upper parts, but nearly white on the head. Whether the prevalence of this brownish-grey tint in both broods is an indication of one or both the parents not being quite true-bred, is a question which I am not competent to decide, but which may be worthy of consideration. 6. The Lepidopterous Fauna of the A n d a m a n and Nicobar Islands. By F. M O O R E , F.Z.S., Assistant Curator, India M u s e u m , London. [Received June 7th, 1877.] (Plates LVIII.-LX.) Note.- The materials used for the accompanying paper were mostly collected in the S. Andamans by Mr. F. A. De Rcepstorff, the Deputy-Superintendent in charge of that Settlement. The specimens were forwarded to this country for disposal; and I have to thank the several gentlemen into whose hands they ultimately went for their kind permission to describe them. Those from the Nicobars were chiefly collected by Mr. R. Meldola, who accompanied the late Venus-Transit Expedition to those islands, to whom my thanks are also due. June 5th, 1877. |