116 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



many, especially of our more recent names, as well as some that have 

 been resurrected, and those who do not care to burden their memories 

 with both names, may drop the latter and will still be understood if they 

 speak of the moth as ''the common Drasteria. 1 ' 



The female moth, when its wings are spread, will measure al>out one 

 and a half inches : the male about a quarter of an inch less. The fore 

 wings are grayish brown, with bands and dots of dark brown ; one band 

 crosses the wing about an eighth of an inch from the base, and a second 

 — which sometimes does not extend entirely across — is placed midway 

 between the first and the outer margin. There is a dull patch of brown 

 near the front edge of the wing, between the first and second bands, and 

 two or three prominent black dots similarly situated between the second 

 band and the apex ; the outer edge is also widely margined with brown. 



The inner portion of the hind wings is similar in color to the front 

 pair, the outer half is crossed by two darker bands irregular in outline, the 

 space between them being occupied by a paler hue, as also is the space 

 between the outside band and the hind margin, which latter is narrowly 

 bordered with the darker shade. The markings on both wings vary much 

 in intensity, being sometimes almost black, in other instances very faint. 



The under surfaces of both wings are much paler, with the markings 

 of the upper surface partially but indistinctly produced. 



Drasteria erecthea appears among our earliest insects in spring, having 

 passed the winter in the chrysalis state ; it is also found up to quite a late 

 period in the autumn. It frequents fields and meadows, and open grassy 

 spots along the sides of our railroad tracks. Its flight is sudden, and 

 after a short but rapid course, it as suddenly alights. 



The caterpillar feeds on clover, and when full grown, measures one 

 and a quarter inches in length or more. It has a medium sized head, 

 rather flat in front, with darker longitudinal lines. The body above is 

 reddish brown, with many longitudinal lines and stripes of a darker 

 shade. There is a double whitish line down the back, with a stripe of the 

 darker shade of brown on each side, and lower down close to the 

 spiracles, is another stripe of the same dark hue, while between these two 

 are faint longitudinal lines. The spaces between the segments, from fifth 

 to eighth inclusive, are nearly black above, a feature only seen, however, 

 when the body is coiled up ; the larva readily assumes this attitude when 

 disturbed. 



