TRIFID.E. 283 



The moth hides during the day among grass, herbage and 

 dead leaves close to the ground ; but flies at early dusk, and 

 is then conspicuous from the whiteness of its hind wings; 

 it frequents flowers, especially those in gardens, but does 

 not seem to be attracted by sugar. Later at night it comes 

 eagerly to a strong light. Abundant in almost all parts of 

 England, though in the more northern portions apparently 

 most frequent on the coast; but north of Yorkshire and 

 Lancashire it seems to disappear, and I have no record for 

 the three northernmost counties. It is found in North Wales, 

 and surely must be common in some parts of South Wales, 

 though I find no record, and did not myself observe it in 

 Pembrokeshire. In Scotland it is not common, but has been 

 found in the districts of the Tweed, Forth, Clyde, Tay 

 and Dee; in Ireland rather rare, but has been noticed in 

 Wicklow, Kerry, Galway, Louth, and even Londonderry, as 

 well as on some of the small islands of the west coast. 

 Abroad its range extends through Central Europe, and all 

 the temperate portions of Northern Europe, also to the Ural 

 Mountain districts. 



2. C. ambigua, Fab. — Expanse \\ inch. Thorax and 

 abdomen moderately stout ; fore wings rather narrow, grey- 

 drab dusted with grey-brown ; upper stigmata large, darker, 

 ringed with yellowish-white ; along the base of the cilia is a 

 distinct slender yellow line ; hind wings white. 



Antennae of the male simple, faintly ciliated, pale brown ; 

 palpi short, rather broadly tufted, brownish-drab ; eyes pro- 

 minent, naked, red-brown ; head smooth, squared, pale drab ; 

 thorax moderately broad, smooth, pale drab dusted with 

 brown and white, and having a minute knob of scales at the 

 back ; fascicles dusky- white ; base of the abdomen clothed 

 with long similar hair-scales, remainder whitish-brown ; 

 lateral and anal tufts tinged with brighter brown. Fore 

 wings rather narrow ; costa nearly straight ; apex bluntly 

 angulated ; hind margin almost straight and but slightly 



