P \ 'RA US TID.£—NA SCIA . 233 



though drawn out to extreme length ; head rather flattened, 

 the lobes rounded, pale drab, the dorsal and subdorsal stripes 

 expressed, the former as a slender edge to each lobe, above, and 

 the latter as a stripe along its middle ; general colour bright 

 yellow ; dorsal stripe narrow, dark purple, edged on each 

 side by a thin white line ; these are closely followed by the 

 subdorsal stripes, broad, and of a rich crimson-purple, in 

 which the raised dots are distinctly visible and shining ; 

 below this the whole lateral surface is bright primrose-yellow, 

 wrinkled and showing a faint ridge ; undersurface, legs, and 

 prolegs paler yellow, the latter shaded in front with purple. 

 (From larvEe furnished for the purpose of this work by Mr. 

 W. H. B. Fletcher.) 



August to October ; on Cladium inariscus, C'arex riparia, 

 and other sedges. Very sluggish, remaining during the day 

 on a leaf of the food-plants, closely pressed to it, and out- 

 stretched ; if disturbed, moving very slowly. !More lively 

 at night, eating into the edges of the leaf-blades. When 

 young more active, and if touched disposed to wriggle and 

 throw itself about. At this time its colour is a far paler 

 yellow, and the purple-pink stripes are narrow and less 

 extended. 



Pupa 10 mm. long, the wing-cases well marked, those of 

 the posterior wings projecting beyond those of the anterior ; 

 the antennal cases curve outwards at their tips round those 

 of the wings ; the thirteenth segment ends with a long, red, 

 flattened, horny process which bears four pairs of hooked 

 spines; head, thorax, limb-cases, and upper abdominal seg- 

 ments nearly black ; posterior segments yellowish below, 

 shading into dark brown on the back. In an opaque papery 

 cocoon in an old reed-stem, in which the larva passes the 

 winter, assuming the pupa state early in June. (W. H. B. 

 Fletcher.) 



This moth was formerly a very great rarity here. Con- 

 fined to the fens of Cambridgeshire, the captures were 



