96 



BRITISH AXD EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS. 



are whitish, without a central shade. The 

 posterior transverse hne is dotted with yellow. 

 The submarginal line is finely zigzag, and is 

 bounded with reddish brown on the inner side 

 with a short W, but no sagittate spots. The 

 fringes are banded with darker. Hind wings 

 whitish, brownish towards the costa, with a 

 brown central lunule and nervures. The collar 

 is without markings. The antennae are finely 

 ciliated in the males, but not serrated. It is 

 found in Western and Southern Europe, and 

 appears in April, Jul}', and August. The 

 larva is brown, with a darker dorsal line, and 

 a black band on the sides. It feeds on plan- 

 tain and other low plants in May, July, and 

 August. 



A. xanthographa, Linn. The Square-spot 

 Rustic. Fore wings greyish red or cinnamon- 

 brown, with the two transverse lines single and 

 darker, the anterior being more distinct than 

 the posterior. The reniform stigma has a dark 

 spot below it. The submarginal line is uniformly 

 narrow towards the base, and dark. The sub- 

 marginal line is marked with dark dots, es- 

 pecially in the central area and between the 

 stigmata. Hind wings dirty white, with a 

 darker marginal band in the male, greyish 

 brown, whitish towards the base in the female. 

 It is common in Central and Southern Europe 

 in August and September. The larva is brown- 

 ish green, streaked with black, with a white 

 dorsal line, a lateral line bounded by black 

 spots above, and a broad black band above 

 the legs. It feeds in Spring on grass and low 

 plants, such as primroses and violets, and lives 

 two months in a cocoon before it assumes the 

 pupa state. 



A. cursoria, Borkh. The Coast Dart. 

 This moth varies considerably in colour. The 

 fore wings are brownish grey, varied with rusty 

 yellow, with whitish nervures, especially the 

 median. The three transverse lines, which 

 are distinctly double and filled up with paler, 

 the central shade, the yellow-edged stigmata, 

 the distinct submarginal, and the marginal 

 lines are all dotted with black. Hind wings 

 white, with broad yellowish grey hind margins. 

 The collar and tegulae are edged with darker. 

 It is found in Northern and North-Western 

 Europe, especially in sandy places on the coast, 

 and appears in July and August. The larva 



is brownish grey, with a lighter dorsal line, 

 two black warts on each segment, and a whitish 

 line on the sides. It feeds at night on Verbas- 

 ciim and Artemisia in May, hiding in the sand 

 at the roots of the plants in the daytime. 



A. tritici, Linn. The White -line Dart. 

 Fore wings brown, varied with grey. All three 

 transverse lines are distinct. The costa is 

 dark, and the stigmata faint and centred with 

 darker. There is often a central shade between 

 the stigmata. The suffused band is lighter, 

 with two separate or confluent dark sagittate 

 spots on the submarginal line beyond the reni- 

 form stigma. Hind wings white, with the hind 

 margins grey in the male, darker in the female. 

 Var. aquilina, Hi'ibn. The Streaked Dart 

 has the ground colour pale yellowish brown, 

 tending to red. It is common throughout 

 Europe in July and August. The larva is 

 bright grey, and lives on the roots of grass, 

 corn, turnip, and vine. 



A. obelisca, W. V. The Square -spot 

 Dart. Fore wings reddish brown, with the 

 costa and the two stigmata pale yellow. A 

 triangular spot in front of the orbicular stigma, 

 a square spot behind it, and the claviform stigma 

 are deep black, the last being connected with 

 a dark band at the base. The two transverse 

 lines are indistinct. The submarginal line is 

 pale, suffused with darker towards the hind 

 margin, and without sagittate spots. Hind 

 wings white, with the nervures and hind margins 

 brownish, darker in the female. Specimens with 

 less violet-red, and with more distinct trans- 

 verse lines and duller markings, are described 

 under the name var. ruris, Hiibn. The moth 

 is found throughout Central Europe in June 

 and July, but is not common. Tire larva is 

 bright brown, with dark dots and a reddisli 

 grey dorsal and lateral line. It feeds on low 

 plants till June. 



A. agathina, Dup. The Heath Rustic. 

 Fore wings brown, tinged with reddish, with 

 blackish lines. There is pale streak on the 

 costa, extending from the base to beyond the 

 middle. The orbicular stigma is pale and 

 clearly defined, and the reniform is pale grey 

 and less conspicuous ; between them is a black 

 space, and in front of the orbicular stigma a 

 black triangular spot. The submarginal line 

 ends in a pale spot at the hinder angle. The 



