TRIFID^. 39 



with cloudy brown lines, preceded by a broad black wedge 

 and margined below with a black line ; this last at one-half 

 the height of the outer edge of the stigma curves suddenly 

 outward and edges a streak of the ground colour which 

 runs into the cilia ; above and also below this are two 

 flame-shaped dashes of the same, edged with black, sharply 

 pointed, and running through a broad purple hind-marginal 

 band, which they cut completely up ; cilia long, pale yellow- 

 brown, intersected by two slender black lines, and the whole 

 cut through at intervals by the long pale points. Hind 

 wings small with sinuous hind margin ; white at the base, 

 clouded with pale smoky-brown beyond the middle ; nervures 

 darker ; extreme margin edged with a dark brown line ; cilia 

 pale yellow, white at the tips. Female rather stouter, the 

 fore wings very slightly broader and more deeply coloured, 

 otherwise quite similar. 



Underside of the fore wings pale smoky-brown with 

 geminated white streaks along the hind margin, the apex 

 broadly clouded with purple and the costal margin ashy- 

 white. Hind wings white, clouded along the costal region, 

 and broadly striped before the hind margin, with pale purple ; 

 central spot small, smoky-black. Body and legs purple-brown. 



On the wing in June and July. 



Larva cherry-brown sprinkled with dots bearing fine 

 hairs ; upon the back are three pale longitudinal lines, 

 among which on each segment are placed, somewhat obliquely, 

 four black-brown streaks ; spiracular stripe broad, yellow ; 

 spiracles white edged with black ; head brown. 



July and August on Hjjpericum (St. John's wort), hiding 

 in the day time upon the ground. (Dr. Hofmann.) 



Pupa shining chestnut brown, under the surface of the 

 earth. (Hofmann.) 



This is one of our rarest species, and scarcely anything is 

 known of its habits in these islands. The first specimen 



