TRIFID^. 257 



grey dusted with brown. Hind wings unusually elongated 

 and also broad ; rounded, except a faint hollow in the margin 

 below the apex ; dusky-white at the base, shading into pale 

 smoky-brown along the hind margin ; cilia pale brown tipped 

 with white. Female usually a little larger, with the abdomen 

 much stouter and very cylindrical and the antennae naked ; 

 otherwise quite similar. Underside of the fore wings dark 

 smoky-brown ; nervures faintly paler ; hind wings smoky- 

 white, dusted all over, but most so along the costal and 

 hind-marginal regions, with dark brown. Body and legs 

 dull brown. 



There is some variation, as already indicated, in the degree 

 of ashy-grey dusting of the fore wings and in the distinctness 

 of the transverse lines, but much more in the form of the 

 curious mark which indicates the reniform stigma ; this is 

 often triangular at the base with the apex produced, or 

 frequently almost crescent-shaped, or with any intermediate 

 variation, and the succeeding black-brown dots are frequently 

 reduced to one, or even totally absent. In the collection ot 

 Mr. S. J. Capper is a specimen in which the stigmatic mark- 

 ing is laid prostrate and formed into a broad black wedge 

 pointing towards the base of the wing, outside it is a narrow 

 black streak, replacing the two dots. 



On the wing in June and July. 



Lakva much elongated, stout in the middle, tapering to 

 each end, but especially in front; head prominent, rounded, 

 light brown ; dorsal region slate-grey or yellowish-grey, 

 lateral pale grey, both abundantly dotted with black ; dorsal 

 line orange-red, subdorsal white, edged above with orange- 

 red ; spiracular line white ; spiracles black ; undersurface, 

 legs, and prolegs yellow-brown, except the anal prolegs, which 

 are pale grey above, and are also much extended behind. 



August to May, on Vicia cracca (Tufted vetch), feeding at 

 night, resting in the daytime stretched at full length along 

 the stalks of the vetch j but at the least disturbance it tucks 



VOL. V. B 



