THE BROAD-BORDERED YELLOW UNDERWING. 233 



exceptional, but specimens in which it is more or less evident 

 are not unknown. 



The eggs figured on Plate ii8 were found in August, 1906, 

 on a leaf of gladiolus in the garden. When first noticed they 

 were of a pale creamy-white colour, but two da)'s afterwards the 

 upper half of the batch became purplish grey, and the cater- 

 pillars hatched out the following morning, when the other half 

 had also changed colour, and the larvae hatched next day. 



The caterpillar (Plate 118, Fig. i), is obscure brownish, 

 sometimes ochreous or green tinged ; with ochreous lines on 

 the back, the outer ones edged with blackish bars on rings four 

 to eleven ; head pale brown marked with darker. It feeds from 

 August to May on grasses and low plants, and is often a pest 

 in the flower or vegetaljle garden. When eggs are obtained 

 early, the caterpillars from them will sometimes attain the 

 moth state in the same year. The moth flies in June and July, 

 and has occurred in September and October. 



^''ps'\ The Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 



^'^^^^v- iylripluciia fimbria). 



This is another species with variable coloured fore wings, and 

 four examples of it are shown on Plate 116. Pale ochreous 

 brown and greyish brown is the most frequent colour, but 

 various shades of greenish or olive brown are not uncommon. A 

 dark reddish-brown form, known to collectors as the " mahogany 

 form,"' seems to be somewhat rare. In the majority of specimens 

 the basal third, and more or less of the central area adjacent to 

 the second line seems to be the darkest coloured ; but occasion- 

 ally these parts are pretty much of the same tint as the rest of 

 the wings. 



The caterpillar (Plate 118, Fig. 4) is of a soft ochreous brown, 

 sometimes red tinted, minutely dotted with blackish ; the central 

 line on the back is pale, and on each side are darkly-edged pale 



