TRIFID^. 129 



On the wing in June, but sometimes from the middle or 

 end of May to the beginning of July. 



Larva apparently cylindrical, yet somewhat flattened 

 beneath and slightly tapering at each end, the skin soft and 

 smooth, the segmental divisions moderately well defined, and 

 also the usual sub-dividing fine transverse wrinkles ; anal 

 prolegs rather splayed ; ground colour above greyish-ochreous- 

 brown, faintly freckled with a darker fine reticulation, paler 

 beneath and inclining to greyish-drab ; head shining and 

 delicately reticulated with darker grey-brown ; dorsal plate 

 a little darker than the ground of the back, and slightly 

 glistening, traversed by the lines ; dorsal line very pale and 

 thin but well defined throughout by two fine lines of dark 

 grey-brown which conspicuously relieve it ; subdorsal line 

 paler than the ground colour, and between this and the 

 dorsal another ; below and equidistant are two more, slender 

 and sinuous ; above the spiracles another, thicker ; and the 

 spiracular stripe greyish-drab, defined above and below by a 

 paler edging ; raised dots minute, black ; spiracles whitish, 

 outlined with black ; beneath them some minute black dots ; 

 prolegs with dark brown hooks. Much like an immature 

 larva of one of the species of Leucania, such as L. straminea. 

 (Adapted from Buckler.) 



August to October on reed (Ari'ndo ijliragmitcs), feeding 

 at night on the leaves ; hiding during the day in the old 

 hollow stems. Mr. Buckler says that several harbour in one 

 old stem, lying stretched out, one beyond another. More 

 especially attached to the reeds which are scattered over the 

 fens rather than to the large reed-beds. 



Pupa slender, rather cylindrical ; head rounded above and 

 produced a little obtusely beneath : the thorax rather the 

 stoutest part ; wing-covers of moderate length, wrapped close 

 to the body ; the movable rings of the abdomen deeply cut, 

 each with an anterior margin of punctate roughness on the 

 back ; last two rings tapered to the anal tip, which is fur- 



VOL. V. I 



