430 LEPIDOPTERA. 



rather oblique in the opposite direction, angnlateil and 

 sinuous, faintly whitish-grey, but edged on either side with 

 black ; two black dots surrounded with whitish dusting 

 represent the discal spot ; hind margin black faintly dotted 

 and dusted with white ; cilia glossy leaden-black. Hind wings 

 ample ; apex bluntly rounded ; hind margin gently so ; pale 

 smoke-colour with a yellowish gloss ; cilia shading to white 

 at the tips. Female similar, but with threadlike antennae. 



Undersides of all the wings smoke colour with a leaden 

 gloss. Body and legs smoky-black. 



The white or grey-white colour of the lines and dusting is 

 often obscured and the wings wholly shin^'-black. 



On the wing from June till August or even September, 

 and in a forward season it has been known to appear before 

 the end of May ; but apparently in onl\- one generation. 



Larva very incompletely known. Mr. G. T. Porritt 

 obtained eggs from captured females and fed the resulting 

 larvffi upon sallow leaves — for which they forsook the heath 

 and ling {Erica and Calluna) which had been supplied as 

 the probable food plants — and reared them to near full 

 growth, when they settled down to hybernate, and in the 

 spring had totally disappeared ; neither could more be 

 obtained on the heaths upon which the moths had been 

 taken. Therefore it is uncertain whether Mr. Porritt's 

 description is that of the full-grown larva — Length three- 

 quarters of an inch ; dull black tinged with very dark olive ; 

 dorsal line black ; head, dorsal plate, and raised dots black 

 and polished ; ventral surface and prolegs dull dark olive- 

 green ; legs black. — When very young these larvae mined 

 between the skins of the sallow leaves, eating the paren- 

 chyma, but after the first moult they spun leaves together, 

 and ate their soft portions, yet no sallow at all grow on 

 the heaths where the moths were plentiful ; and as this is 

 usually the case, it seems clear that we have more to learn 

 about this species. Heinemann suggests as food the leaves 



