276 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



the cross lines, especially the second, distinctly white towards 

 the inner margin. Sometimes, chiefly in Scotland, the ground 

 colour is much paler, occasionally almost whitish, and the band 

 reddish (var. cana^ Stand., Figs. 5, 8). There is a good deal 

 of variation, both in the ground colour and in that of the band ; 

 the latter is often smoky brown in pale specimens of both sexes. 

 The caterpillar is of a pale flesh tint, rather inclining to 

 greyish ochreous, the dorsal stripe of a darker tint of the same 

 colour well defined on each side by the pale ground colour ; 

 next a very broad stripe of pinkish brown, followed by a narrow 

 stripe of the ground colour, faintly edged below with pinkish 

 brown; above the black spiracles is a stripe of pinkish brown 

 freckles ; head and plates on first and last rings of the body 

 light brown, shining (Buckler). In the shoots of grasses such 

 as Aira ccspitosa^ in April and early May, probably after 

 hibernation. The moth is out in May and June, and its haunts 

 are moist woods and marshy grounds, generally. The species 

 is widely distributed, and often common, throughout the British 

 Isles. Abroad it seems to have a very limited range. 



The Rosy Minor {Miana Utcrosa). 



The ground colour is pale, or dark, violet grey, more or less 

 clouded inwards from the submarginal line, and on the basal 

 area, with purplish ; a central reddish or reddish brown band 

 is limited inwardly by the, sometimes, whitish edged black 

 first line, and outwardly by an almost straight black line 

 passing between the stigmata to the inner margin. (Plate 134, 

 Figs. II, 14.) 



The caterpillar is dingy ochreous yellow, with a dark purplish 

 stripe, enclosing a central line of the ground colour, on the 

 back ; spiracles black ; head dark brown, plates pale brown 

 (Porrjtt). From September to June, in stems of Ca/ra- i^/a?/ca, 



