204 LEPIDOPTERA. 



brown minutely dotted with ashy-white and slightly flushed 

 with an ashy-purple gloss ; basal line obscurely suggested 

 by one or two black or black-brown spots ; first line, when 

 visible, rather indented, reddish-brown ; second line hardly 

 perceptible, except by faint angulated streaks or dots on 

 some of the nervures ; subterminal line more distinct, rather 

 far from the hind margin, sinuous, and composed of obscure 

 chocolate dots or cloudy spots with a whiter outside edging, 

 which attain the costal margin without any distinct break 

 or displacement ; orbicular and reniform stigmata both large, 

 set widely apart, rather clouded with black and more dis- 

 tinctly outlined with whitish -grey ; between them passes 

 a somewhat dark red or purple-brown central cloudy 

 transverse shade ; cilia light brown barred and shaded with 

 purple-brown. Hind wings smoky-white or pale smoky- 

 brown ; nervures darker ; cilia brownish-white. Female 

 quite similar except that the antennas are simple, the body 

 stouter, and the anal tuft smaller. 



Underside of the fore wings smohy-browu or smoky-grey ; 

 reniform stigma indicated by a smoky-black cloud ; beyond 

 it is a faint similar transverse line. Hind wings white much 

 dusted with brown or purple-brown, especially toward the 

 costal margin ; central spot large, black ; beyond it is a 

 slender partial transverse stripe of smoky-black dots, not 

 always observable. Body and legs dark purplish-brown. 



Usually very constant in colour and such markings as 

 it possesses ; but occasionally the black dots along the 

 second line are accentuated and much more distinct. In 

 Scotland, particularly in Perthshire, there is a tendency 

 toward paler grey-brown colouring, and the same has been 

 observed in Kent. A somewhat abnormal specimen in my 

 possession has the fore wings falcate. 



On the wing in March and xVpril. 



Larva plump, fairly cylindrical, but the incisions well 

 marked ; head of nearly equal breadth to the next segment. 



