1S72.1 15 



prison. These eggs I soon aftei' conveyed to what seemed a promising spot for a 

 future colony at a sand-hill on the coast, with the intention of looking after their 

 larval produce in the following simimer : but my friend spared me all that trouble 

 by sending me a number of the larvae, in difPerent stages of growth, on Jmie 11th, 

 1870, and a fiu-ther supply on the 20th ; these all fed well on Arenaria peploides, 

 Viola Curtisii, Triticinn junceum, &c., and became full fed towards the end of June, 

 when they burrowed deep into the sand for pupation, and the perfect insects made 

 their appearance from the 1st to the 12th of August. 



The egg of cursoria is rather small in proportion to the size of the moth, nearly 

 globidar, flattened a little at the base, veiy finely ribbed and reticulated, and of a 

 flesh colour. 



The larva when young is long and slender for an Agrotis ; but, as it approaches 

 half growth, it becomes of tolerably stout proportions, and, when fidl grown, is very 

 decidedly plump. Its form is cylindrical, tapering a little at the first three segments, 

 the head being the smallest, though fidl and rounded in outline, it tapers also on 

 the two hinder segments ; the segmental divisions and sub-dividing wrinkles are very 

 well defined. 



The coloiu'ing varies according to its size, but the head and the plate on the 

 second segment are invariably of a pale brownish-buff tint ; the general coloviring of 

 the body, up to more than half-growth, is a lively glaucous-green on the back, and 

 rather bluish or greenish-grey on the sides, with the following details : the dorsal 

 line is bkiish-grey, outlined with dark greenish-grey ; the sub-dorsal line is of a pale 

 or whitish- gi-ey, edged above with a strongly contrasting dark greenish-gTcy hne ; 

 midway between this and the spiracles, on the gi-eenish-grey, rather transparent, 

 ground colour of the side, there runs another line of pale whitish-grey, but undula- 

 tmg and interrupted in character ; beneath this again, as far as the spiracles, the 

 ground colom* is darker ; then follows a broad stripe of greyish-white, having a fine, 

 dark, gi'ey line running through it, the skin in this region being rather rugose : the 

 belly and legs are rather pale greenish-grey ; the spiracles are black, and the tuber- 

 cular dots dark brown ; the head and plate behind it are highly pohshed, and the 

 rest of the body smooth skinned and shining. 



Soon after this period of half-growth, the larva comes to be parti-coloui-ed for a 

 time, the front segments remain green, whUst a patch of ochreous tinges the back of 

 the hinder segments ; by and by, this by degrees spreads below, and extends gi-adnally 

 forwards, keeping pace with the growth of the larva mitd it has attained its fidl size, 

 when the whole of the body is of the same buff colour as the head, relieved by the 

 whitish-grey lines before described, -which are edged with short streaks of darkish 

 grey just at the beginning of each segment ; the tubercular dark brown dots are now 

 very conspicuous. 



The shape of the pupa is like that of many of its congeners, moderately 

 stout, smooth, and rather shining, and of a pale golden-bro^ra coloiu'. — William 

 BucKLEE, Emsworth : Mai/, 1872. 



Description of the larva of Nola strigula. — I am indebted to tho unvarying 

 kindness of Mr. W. H. Harwood, of Colchester, for valuable information concerning 

 the habits of this pretty species, and for opportunities of studying and describing 

 its larva, examples of which I received from him on June 15th, 1869, and on 

 June 8tb, 1871. 



