i6o 



BRITISH AND EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS. 



and shortly ciliated in the males. There is a 

 long spiral proboscis, raised palpi, a vertical 

 front and unarmed legs. In Tclesilla tliere 

 is a transverse tuft behind the collar, the 

 ej'es are bare and not ciliated and the an- 

 tennae are short and weak. In Pliisia there is 

 no tuft, the eyes are ciliated, and the fore 

 wings have pointed apices, somewhat curved 

 hind margins, on which the scales are raised 

 into ridges, or with beautiful golden and silvery 

 spots. These moths fly during the day or at 

 dusk, and have their wings sloping when at 

 rest. The larvae, except those of Telesilla, 

 have the front pair of prolegs aborted, and 

 consequently walk like Geometers. They 

 undergo their transformations in a silken cocoon. 



Genus Telesilla, Herr.-Schaff. 



Somewhat small moths with pointed fore 

 wings broad behind, with nervures 7 and 8 

 rising from a common point from the tip of 

 the appendicular cell, and g rising from 8. 

 All the /^o^/;w-markings are complete and the 

 marginal line forms three stages, whilst the 

 submarginal line is almost straight. Nervure 

 5 of the hind wings is as thick as the others. 

 The thorax has a transverse tuft behind the 

 collar and in front of the scutellum. The palpi 

 are straight with a long broad median joint 

 and a thin short, truncated terminal segment. 

 The larvae have the legs complete and have 

 the usual gait. 



T. amethystina, Hiibn. Fore wings bright 

 reddish brown, with peach-coloured markings, 

 especially around the reniform stigma. The 

 three transverse lines are distinct, double, 

 filled up with peach-colour; the light orbi- 

 cular stigma is sharply edged with white, and 

 so is the claviform towards the hind margin. 

 Between them is a red wedge-shaped spot 

 reaching to the posterior transverse line. The 

 reniform stigma is the least distinct; it is 

 margined with white towards the base and 

 from it to the anterior transverse line is a dark 

 pyramidal spot interrupted by the orbicular 

 stigma. The submarginal line is pale brown, 

 the marginal line, which is almost straight, is 

 peach-coloured, and the fringes are intersected 

 by nervures of the same colour, but are also 

 banded with brown. The hind wings are 

 reddish grey, the fringes redder, and banded 



with darker through the middle. It is found 

 in some parts of Central and Southern Europe 

 in May and June, but is scarce. The larva is 

 yellowish green with four indistinct pale longi- 

 tudinal lines and a sharply defined white or 

 yellow line above the legs suffused here and 

 there with carmine. It feeds on the flowers 

 and seeds of Uinhdlifera, such as Daiicus peu- 

 cedaniim, and especially on Silaus pratense. The 

 pupa is small and black. 



Genus Plusia, Ochs. 



Antennae comparatively long, eyes ciliated ; 

 there is a small crest behind the collar. The 

 abdomen is elongated and is covered with 

 strong hair. The palpi are well developed. 

 The fore wings are sharply pointed, with here 

 and there patches of raised scales in the first 

 three species, but with beautiful golden or 

 silvery letter-like spots or transverse lines on 

 a ground having a metallic lustre. The hind 

 wings are usually brownish grey. Most of the 

 species fly in the sunshine or at dusk over 

 flowers, but some fly only during the night. 

 The larvae have only twelve legs, are tapering 

 in front and thickened behind, with fine scat- 

 tered hairs. They live either free upon the 

 food plant, generally under the leaves, or be- 

 tween leaves which they have spun together. 

 They undergo their transformations in a thick 

 cocoon. 



P. triplasia, Linn. The Dark Spectacle 

 Moth. Fore wings light brown varied with 

 shining rusty yellow, especially in the basal 

 and marginal areas near the hinder angle. 

 The three stigmata and their borders are less 

 distinct than in the two following species. 

 The submarginal line has two or three sharp 

 black sagittate spots on the apex towards the 

 base. The marginal line is slightly sinu- 

 ated. The hind wings are brown, yellowish 

 towards the base and on the fringes. It is 

 common throughout Europe in May and June. 

 The larva is finely pubescent tapering in front, 

 dark green with a white dorsal line from the 

 head to the fifth segment, white lines shaded 

 with darker above the legs and similar oblique 

 streaks uniting at an angle on the back. On 

 the back of the fifth segment there is an almost 

 triangular dark green spot edged with lighter, 

 another behind it and a black-spotted bifid 



