114 



BRITISH AND EUROPEAX BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS. 



wings are brownish grey, lighter near the 

 base, with a central lunule, yellowish marginal 

 line, and slightly tufted on the anterior half. 

 The abdomen is brownish grey. The moth 

 is found flying over peaty heaths in Northern 

 and some parts of Central Europe. The larva 

 is brown with darker lateral stripes and black 

 warts, each with a single hair. It feeds on 

 cotton-grass (Eriophontm). 



L. matura, Hufn. The Straw Underwing. 

 Fore wings reddish brown, with distinct lighter 

 markings, of which the submarginal line and 

 the posterior transverse line are the whitest. 

 These, as well as the anterior transverse line, 

 bordered with black. The two stigmata are 

 ringed with white, the claviform being long 

 and narrow, and surrounded with darker. 

 The marginal area has black streaks between 

 the whitish nervures. The marginal line is 

 composed of black lunules. The hind wings 

 are yellowish, with a black marginal band and 

 somewhat darkly spotted fringes. The head 

 and thorax are brown and the abdomen yel- 

 lowish grey. The antennae have pyramidal 

 serrations in the male. It is common in Central 

 Europe in July and August. The larva is grey- 

 ish brown or greyish yellow, with alternating 

 fine pale and dark longitudinal lines, and a 

 dark and a white line on the sides. It lives on 

 grasses from the Autumn till the Spring, and 

 remains two or three months in a cocoon in the 

 ground before it passes into the pupa state. 



L. virens, Linn. Fore wings light green, 

 the costal nervure, anterior half of the fringes, 

 inner margin, lower half of the base, the 

 crescent-shaped reniform stigma, and the widely 

 separated orbicular (when present) are all 

 white. The hind wings are white, suffused 

 with greyish. The head and collar are light 

 green; the abdomen white, greenish behind. 

 In the variety immaculata, Staiid. the white 

 stigma is wanting. The moth appears in July 

 and August, and is common in many parts of 

 Central Europe, especially on thistle-heads. 

 The larva is dull dirt\' green, without markings, 

 and with a black head. It feeds in the Autumn 

 and in the Spring till May on low jilants, 

 hiding under stones during the day. 



Genus Hadena, Treit. 

 Fore wings rather broader externalh-, with 



rectangular, acute or blunt tips. Hind wings 

 rounded, fringes waved. The thorax is coarsely 

 hairy and arched, with a divided anterior and 

 posterior crest. The abdomen, which is clothed 

 with erect hairs, is not stout in the females, 

 and is tufted on the back and sides. The 

 proboscis is stout. The eyes are not ciliated, 

 and the legs are strong and not spined. The 

 front, palpi, and markmgs are as in Mamestra, 

 except that the \V of the submarginal line is 

 not so well defined. The following sections 

 depend on the shape of the antennae in the 

 males and of the anal fold. 



A. Anal fold slender and uniformly broad : in- 

 curved at the end. The antennir of the males with 

 pyramidal serrations and tufts of cilia. The fore 

 li'ings pointed (porphyrea funerea). Fore wings 

 rounded at the tips (adusta). 



B. Anal fold expanded, the expansions being 

 either triangular or more or less rounded. The an- 

 tenna with pyramidal serrations (ochroleuca) or 

 setiform with short and tufted ciliations. 



C. Anal fold with rounded expansion, and a 

 sharp spine on the inner side. 



H. satura, \V. V. The Beautiful Brocade. 

 Fore wings brown, varied with deep cherry- 

 red. The marginal area and the reniform stig- 

 ma are the lightest. The two transverse lines 

 are closely approximated in cell 2, and the 

 central area is here broadly black, with a second 

 black streak on the inner margin towards 

 the base. The submarginal line has several 

 dark spots, especially towards the hind margin. 

 The hind wings are greyish brown, darker 

 towards the hind margin, with yellowish fringes, 

 spotted with darker. The head and thorax 

 ;ue brown, the front of the collar being lighter 

 and the abdomen greyish brown. It is found 

 in Central and Northern Europe in June and 

 July, but has only been taken a few times in 

 Britain. The larva is reddish brown, finelv 

 marbled with black, with three light dorsal 

 lines, between which are two white spots on 

 each segment, and flesh-coloured insertions. 

 It lives in Ma}- and June on Lonicera and other 

 low plants growing in ilark places in woods. 



H. funerea, \-. Ilein. is \cry like the dark 

 specimens of rurea. It is dark reddish brown, 

 blackish behind, the submarginal line with fine 

 black markings. The reniform stigma is spotted 

 with yellow towards the hind margins. There 



