200 [February, 



after the quadrilateral, and to consist of about twenty cellules ; in 

 my examples it commencea hefore (in one at) tlie end of the quadri- 

 lateral, and consists of about twenty-five cellules. The individuals 

 vary much in the extension of the dark portion of the posterior wings ; 

 in some the median oblong spot of the inner vitreous series is per- 

 fectly enclosed in the dark ground, but ordinarily its inner end remains 

 free from dark surroundings. It may be considered certain that 

 angusta of Sumatra, hiseriata of Borneo, and hiforata of Malacca and 

 Birmah, are only local forms of one species. 

 Lewisham : September, 1879. 



NATURAL HISTORY OF NOLA CENTONALIS. 

 BY W. H. TUGWELL. 



On the 15th of last August, I had the good fortune to capture in 

 Kent two female Nola centonalis, and as nothing was known of the 

 life-history of this rare moth, risked spoiling my specimens by keeping 

 them for eggs. Both of them deposited small batches, but only one 

 lot proved fertile ; these (36 in number) soon showed signs of 

 vitality. When they were first deposited, they were pearly-white, 

 beautifully striated, and somewhat hemispherical in form, i. e., convex 

 above, flattened beneath ; in two or three days, a small dark grey 

 centi'al spot appeared, which increased in intensity till the time of 

 hatching, which took place on August 27th. I had a difficult problem 

 to solve, as I had no knowledge of the food plant, so I collected portions 

 of twelve different plants that grew near the spot of capture ; these 

 were enclosed in a wide-mouthed bottle with the eggs, as soon as they 

 commenced to hatch : being so small, little or no signs of frass could 

 be detected, and 1 began to fear all were lost, till the fourth day, when 

 the contents of the bottle were carefully inspected on a sheet of white 

 paper, and I was pleased to find that three different plants had been 

 eaten. This gave hopes, and enabled me to clear away a lot of useless 

 plants ; carefully replacing the young larva; into the bottle, with fresh 

 portions of the attacked, viz., Potentilla aiiserina, Lotus corniculatus, 

 and Trifolium procuvihens, I again left them four days, and then re- 

 peated inspection. Now the preference for the LeijuminoscB was most 

 decided, the favourite being evidently Trifolium frocumhens. I con- 

 tinued to give them this food for a short time ; but, finding it difiicult 

 to keep up a fresh supply, as I could not find the plant growing near 

 G-reenwich, substituted Trifolium miixus and Medicago lupulina, both 

 of which they ate freely. In their early stages they ate the leaves 



