THE SMOKY WAINSCOT. 305 



it does not seem to occur anywhere abroad. It was first dis- 

 covered by Paymaster-in-Chief G. F. Mathcw, in 1895, '^^'^^^ ^^'^s 

 described by the late Mr. C. G. Barrett in 1896. 



In the typical form the fore wings are of a smooth soft honey 

 colour, or colour of the honeycomb, having the nervures faintly 

 perceptible, but not paler ; a black discal dot, and two more 

 dots with some faint blackish dashes indicate the usual second 

 line. Tutt has named several forms, the most important being 

 ab. /u/i'd, bright yellow buff with discal dot and two dots 

 beyond ; and ab. ?'///a, deep reddish with discal dot and two 

 others beyond. Besides these there are ab. cr/iea, Mathew, 

 deep orange, with only one dot representing second line ; and 

 ab. obscura^ Mathew, cinnamon-brown, with smoky shading 

 between some of the nervures. The hind wings vary from 

 whitish with darker nervures, to smoky grey ; but the fringes 

 always remain whitish. 



The caterpillar is a warm putty colour, or pinkish brown, 

 mottled and shaded with darker shades ; three pale whitish 

 brown lines on the back, the central one bordered on each side 

 by a darker shade, and the outer ones shaded inwardly with 

 darker and edged below by a darker line ; a brown or pinkish 

 stripe above the spiracles, and a pinkish yellow stripe below 

 them ; head yellowish-brown, shining, and dotted with darker 

 colour. It feeds on grasses from July to April (adapted from 

 Mathew). The moth flies in June and July, and frequents the 

 flowers of the large grasses growing on salt marshes. Sometimes 

 specimens of a second brood appear in August or September. 



The Smoky Wainscot {Leucania impura). 



The range of this common species (Plate 147, Figs. 3^, 4$), 

 in the British Isles is almost the same as that of L. pallois, but 

 it does not extend further north than Moray in Scotland. The 

 hind wings are greyish or blackish grey. A form with reddish 



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