BRITISH AND EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS. 



Wi 



Genus Mamestra, Treit. 



Eyes and front hair)', palpi and thorax 

 covered with coarse bristly hair. The thorax 

 is convex, with anterior and [posterior crests, 

 divided in the middle and not much raised. 

 The abdomen is more or less tufted. The anal 

 fold is thickly covered with hair, with stiff 

 bristles on the inner side, and hooks directed 

 inwards, of very varied shapes. The fore 

 wings are moderately broad, with curved hind 

 margins, undulating fringes, and rectangular, 

 somewhat obtuse apices. The hind wings are 

 rounded. The moths fly at night, and hold 

 their wings obliquely when at rest. The larvae 

 are smooth and cylindrical, or have a projection 

 from the last segment. The)' feed on low 

 plants and bushes, and assume the pupa state 

 in the ground. 



M. leucophaea, W. V. The Feathered 

 Ear. Fore wings broad posteriorly, light or 

 dark brownish grej', somewhat suffused with 

 rusty red in the basal area, and darkest in 

 the central area. Both transverse lines are 

 bordered with darker, and the three large 

 stigmata are surrounded with darker. The 

 claviform stigma is filled up with darker, and 

 the other two are whitish, with a brownish 

 centre. The central shade is zigzag, and 

 the submarginal line is more or less distinct, 

 with sharp sagittate marks on the inner 

 side. The marginal line is composed of 

 crescent-shaped spots, which are almost con- 

 nected. The fringes are marked with curved 

 spots between the nervures. Hind wings 

 ashy or brownish grey, with darker nervures 

 and central lunule, and a pale streak or dash 

 in front of the dark marginal line, as well 

 as large pale spots between the nervures on 

 the fringes. The thorax is light grey, with 

 a transverse line over the collar. The tegulae, 

 or their margins only, and the dorsal tufts 

 are darker. The moth is common in Central 

 and South-Eastern Europe in May and June, 

 but Mickleham in Surrey is the only British 

 localit)'. The larva is greyish brown, with a 

 whitish dorsal line, which has a few black spots 

 beside it on each segment, and a broad j-ellow 

 stripe above the legs. It hibernates and lives 

 on grass in Spring. 



M. serratilinea, Ochs. Fore wings brown- 

 ish grev, varied with vellowish and blackish. 



Both transverse lines are broad, and edged on 

 both sides with darker; behind the claviform 

 stigma they are closely approximate. These 

 and the spot near the base on the whitish 

 submarginal line in cells ib, 4, 5, and 7 are 

 darkest. The reniform stigma has two white 

 dots towards the hind margin, and generally 

 another on the inner side. The marginal 

 line has white dots on the nervures and black 

 lunules between them. The hind wings are 

 brownish grey, darker on the nervures and 

 towards the hind margin, with a central lunule. 

 The curved line and the fringes are pale j-ellow. 

 The head and thorax are covered with long 

 hair. The antennae are shortly serrated in the 

 male. The moth, which is scarce, is found 

 in South-Eastern Germany, Austria, and 

 Switzerland in July. The larva is brownish, 

 with black spiracles. The head is brown, and 

 the cervical plate is small and yellowish, with 

 a lighter median line. The ventral surface 

 is greenish. It feeds in Spring on plantain 

 and other low plants, hiding under stones 

 during the day. 



M. advena, W. V. The Pale Shining 

 Brown. Fore wings violet-grey, much varied 

 with rusty brown, especiall)' on the anterior 

 half and about the stigmata. The three stig- 

 mata are surrounded with black, the claviform 

 being the darkest. The reniform has a dark 

 spot in the hinder angle. From the middle of 

 the base passes a thin black streak, which is 

 smaller between the stigmata. The submarginal 

 line has the darkest sagittate spot on the 

 inner side in cell ib. The marginal line is 

 composed of black crescent-shaped spots. The 

 fringes are divided b)' fine pale nervures, and 

 there is a dark band through the middle. The 

 hind wings are yellowish grey or brownish 

 grey, darker towards the hind margin, with 

 an indistinct central lunule and a brown line 

 through the whitish fringes. The moth is 

 common in Central and Northern Europe in 

 June. The larva is greyish brown, with the 

 incisions and the belly bluish grey, covered 

 with small sinuous streaks. There is a white 

 dorsal line bordered with dark brown, and four 

 whitish dots beside it. The cervical plate is 

 dark brown, with three whitish streaks, and 

 the head is pale yellow. It feeds in Spring 

 on raspberry and other low plants. 



