g8 LEPIDOPTERA. 



ration in September ; on the petals and antliers of SliUnrin 

 holosfea ; but in confinement will feed also on those of 

 Ccrastmm tomcHtosum, C. aricnsc, and C. triviah. 



PiPA rather short, thoracic portion cylindrical, limb and 

 wing-covers and thoracic shield all very smooth, glossy, and 

 devoid of sciili>ture, yellow-green ; dorsal and abdominal 

 segments also glossy, but finely dotted with small punctures in 

 the broader anterior bauds ; red-brown ; cremaster short and 

 thick, armed with minute hooked bristles. In a tough strong 

 cocoon of root-fibres and earth ; in the ground. 



The moth flies in a lively manner, in the afternoon sun- 

 shine, over the flowers of its food-plant. It loves sunny 

 spots at the edges of woods or heaths, or a broad space by a 

 hedge-bank or on a railway bank, where the pretty stitch- 

 wort grows in large masses ; dancing gaily over and around 

 it. but instantly disappearing if the sun is obscured, and 

 hardly to be induced by any means to fly so long as the 

 weather is cloudy. It used to be considered to be a fen 

 insect, and indeed was named pfilusfrnrio on its discovery 

 here in the year 18-30 ; but my own experience does not 

 confirm this habit ; so far as I have observed, it only inhabits 

 fennv districts in the same manner as drier localities — where 

 the Stellaria exists in extensive beds. Records for the 

 extreme South of England seem to be wanting; but it has 

 been taken, locally yet plentifully, in Buckinghamshire, 

 Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Leices- 

 tershire and Derby.shire ; more rarely in Staffordshire ; also 

 in Cheshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Durham, Cumberland, 

 and Northumberland ; but Ifind only one notice for AVales. in 

 Denl)ighsbire. In Scotland it is not uncommon in Berwick- 

 shire, the Edinburgh district, Fife. Eoxburghshire, Renfrew 

 and other parts of Clydesdale. Argyle. and Perthshire : in 

 Ireland in Dublin County, Cork. Galway, Wicklow and 

 Louth. Abroad its range seems to be limited to Holland, 

 Belgium, Livonia, Finland and Lapland. 



