P VRALlD.t:—P YRALfS. 273 



The moth is found about stables, corn-stores, mills, grain- 

 warehouses, and in houses generally ; it sits during the day 

 on shaded walls and in obscure or dark situations, with its 

 wings widely outspread and flattened to the wall, and the 

 abdomen curiously curled up over the back ; taking no 

 notice of any intruder unless actually disturbed, but then 

 running rapidly away. It has even been found in the corn 

 stores of mines, more than a quarter of a mile underground. 

 At dusk it flies, keeping as much as possible away from 

 notice, and very seldom approaches a light. Extremely 

 common in England, Wales, and Ireland, also in the south 

 of Scotland, but more scarce and local in the north of that 

 country, and apparently not found in the Isles. Abroad 

 it is abundant throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, North 

 America to California and Texas, Australia, and New 

 Zealand, wherever the conditions are suitable; also being 

 more plentiful in the non-tropical regions. 



2. P. lienigialis, Zfll. — Expanse 1 inch. Fore wings 

 jDurplish-bufl^, with dark purple basal and apical blotches ; 

 lines yellowish-white ; hind wings dark brown. 



Antenuffi of the male simple, light-brown ; palpi small, 

 slender, pale red-brown; head and thorax purple-buff'; abdo- 

 men dull purple-brown. Fore wings rather narrowly trigo- 

 nate ; costa very faintly ai-ched; apex bluntly angulated ; 

 hind mai'gin short, little curved, but rather oblique ; surface 

 shining ; colour purplish-buff or orange-brown ; basal area 

 dark jjurple to the flrst line, which is gently curved, yellowish- 

 white ; second line also yellowish-white, forming a con- 

 spicuous hook or curved triangle from the costa, thence 

 obscure ; beyond this line the apical region is dark puq^le or 

 purple-brown, and the hind marginal region blackish-brown; 

 cilia grey-brown. Hind wings not very broad, rounded 

 behind ; dark smoky-brown with two faint irregular curved 

 white lines crossing in different directions ; cilia pale grey- 

 brown. Female similar. 



VOL. IX. s 



