P YRA USTID.i:—MEC YNA. 349 



When full fed it leaves its food-plaut and spins a pretty, 

 transparent, coffin-like cocoon under loose bark or in any 

 convenient corner, and here remains, as a larva, perfectly 

 visible, until the following May or June, when the pupa state 

 is assumed. Bat occasionally it happens that the larva is 

 brought indoors with herbs for drying, and having formed its 

 cocoon in a warm portion of the house, its transformations 

 are forced on, and the moth emerges in January or February. 



Pupa light chestnut colour; not more fully described; in 

 cocoon as mentioned above. 



The moth is abundant about beds of nettles and also in 

 laaes and gardens, and is one of our most familiar insects. 

 It hides amona: herbage and in hedges and bushes, and is 

 easily disturbed by day, flying lazily to a similar hiding-place. 

 At dusk it is conspicuous from its rather hovering horizontal 

 flight. Found in plenty in the London suburbs and through- 

 out England except that it becomes scarce in the most 

 northern counties; also common throughout Wales and 

 Ireland ; scarce in Scotland though found near Edinburgh 

 and in Clydesdale Abroad it is common throughout the 

 Continent of Europe except the coldest portions ; and in 

 Corsica ; also in Asia Minor, Armenia, Tartary, and Western 

 China. 



Genus 8. MECYNA, 



Antennce simple ; palpi pointed, projecting ; tongue large, 

 head prominently rough ; thorax elongated, rough in front ; 

 abdomen long, tapering, pointed ; fore wings elongate, tri- 

 gonate and pointed, discal cell of the usual width ; hind wings 

 moderately broad, the cell short and broad, cross-bar 

 angulated ; legs rather short. 



We have but one species. 



1. M. polygonalis, Hiib. — Expanse 1 to \\ inch. Fore 

 wings elongated ; purple-brown, with black stigmata, and 

 pale second line. Hind wings yellow with a black border. 



