TRIFID^. 293 



with light brown ; cilia wJiite. Female accurately similar, 

 abdomen hardly stouter. 



Underside of the fore wings very pale smoky-brown, with 

 a broad pearly-white stripe along the dorsal margin ; beyond 

 the middle is an obscure smoky-black transverse stripe which 

 does not reach the dorsal margin. Hind wings white, dusted 

 along the costal region with light brown ; central spot very 

 small, black ; near the hind margin is a faint partial trans- 

 verse series of dots on nervures ; hind margin dotted with 

 black. Body whitish-brown ; legs brown, leg tufts white. 



Rather variable in the ground colour from pale brown to 

 dull umbreous, and also in the distinctness of the few mark- 

 ings ; and more especially liable to local variation. In the 

 north of Ireland having the costal black spots enlarged and 

 very distinct, and the dark stripe near the hind margin 

 emphasised. Some of those from Aberdeen have the mark- 

 ings very dark, and a row of black dashes before the sub- 

 terminal line ; others are very small in size, not esceedino- 

 that of Miana furicncula. This variability in size is moreover 

 found in other districts. Some examples in Mr. W. H. B. 

 Fletcher's collection, taken at Brighton, have both stigmata 

 surrounded by white dots; and in Mr. P. M. Bright's 

 collection is a pale grey specimen devoid of the usual mark- 

 ings except the costal spots, smooth and unicolorous. Some 

 Orkney examples are also nearly unicolorous smoky-grey, or 

 have the base and hind marginal stripe still darker. 



On the wing in abundance at the end of July, and in 

 August and the beginning of September, but casual speci- 

 mens occur at the end of May and in June ; and sometimes 

 when the autumn is unusually warm a few make their appear- 

 ance in October. Probably there is but one full generation 

 m the year, but a portion of a second seems to become per- 

 fected in either the autumn or the spring. It has even been 

 found indoors in February. 



Larva stout, not tapering much at either extremity ; head 



