NEURIA. 27 



serrated, and the legs are brown, blackish beneath. The 

 ground-colour of the fore-wings is light grey or yellowish-grey. 

 The costa is streaked with dark brown in several places. All 

 the nervures are dotted or streaked with brown. There is 

 scarcely a trace of transverse striation, and the stigmata are 

 also only slightly indicated, but the central area of the wings 

 shows a dark irregularly-shaped blotch, which terminates in a 

 white spot on the inner side. Next comes a paler space, 

 containing a double row of brown dots. The sub-marginal 

 line forms a distinct W, and beyond it the wings are darkest, 

 being sometimes of a deep rusty brown tint. An indistinct 

 double streak connects the inner margin with the white spot 

 mentioned above. The fringes are dentated, and enclose 

 lighter lines. The hind-wings are yellowish, with brown 

 nervures and a central lunule, and a broad border of the same 

 colour. The fringes are whitish or brownish. 



The first reliable account of the larva was published by 

 J. E. Robson in the Entomologisf s Weekly Intelligencer for 

 i860. He says: — "The larva of X. lithoxylea being marked 

 ' unknown,! I beg to say I have bred the insect this summer 

 from a larva found at the roots of grass ; it was of large size ; 

 colour dirty white, with a bluish tinge below ; head and tail 

 black, with two rows of black shining spots on each segment, 

 one hair in each spot. I found it on the 8th of May ; it 

 seemed then nearly full fed; the perfect insect appeared on 

 the 8th of July." 



GENUS NEURIA. 



Neurta, Guenee, Ann. Soc. Ent. France, x. p. 241 (1841) ; 

 id. Spec. Gen. Lepid. Noct. i. p. 166 (1852). 



In this genus the antennae are short, and slightly ciliated, 

 especially in the male ; the palpi are short, slightly longer than 

 the head, and ascending; the last joint is conical. The body 



