THE LEAST MINOR. 277 



Dactylis glomcrata^ and other grasses. The moth flies in July 

 and August, and although rare inland is pretty generally dis- 

 tributed around the coasts of the British Isles ; apparently, from 

 the Clyde area, confined to the east coast of Scotland, and not 

 extending north of Moray. 



The Cloaked Minor {Mi ana bicoloria). 



This is another variable species of the genus, and five speci- 

 mens of it are shown on Plate 134. The typical form (Fig. 3) 

 has the fore wings more or less brownish on the basal area, 

 and whitish bordered with brownish on the outer area. Very 

 frequently these wings are pale, or dark, brown marbled with 

 darker brown, and with the stigmata and cross lines distinct, 

 faint, or absent. Fig. 15 represents a form from Ireland, which 

 is uniformly pale ochreous brown, sometimes reddish tinged. 

 The caterpillar is yellowish ochreous, tinged with pink ; three 

 dull reddish interrupted bands, each intersected by a line of 

 the ground colour ; head reddish brown ; plates on first and 

 last rings of the body pale reddish brown (Buckler). In 

 stems of grasses, such as Fcstuca and Ai)-a — April and May ; 

 probably after hibernation. The moth flies in August and 

 September, sometimes earlier. At dusk it is often common in 

 rough fields and grassy places near the sea. Although found 

 in some inland localities, it is more especially a coast species, 

 and as such is widely distributed over the British Isles to the 

 Orkneys. 



The Least Minor {Phothedcs captmncula). 



The pretty little moth shown on Plate 134, Figs. 17, \%, 

 has the fore wings brownish ochreous, tinged with reddish 

 brown, and with a darker central band and hind margin. 

 Sometimes the whole basal area up to the white second line 



