TRIFWyE. 365 



Southern woods. On the other hand, a well-known recurrent 

 form called var. Jtacesccns is found more often in northern 

 localities ; in it the colour is pale yellow, either totally with- 

 out the pur^ole-red lines and cloudy band, or with these but 

 very faintly indicated, while the dark spot in the base of the 

 reniform stigma is conspicuous and of a red-brown, and 

 the cilia distinctly purplish-red. In one specimen taken in 

 Surrey even these colours are obscured and the whole surface 

 is pale yellow. Another, in the collection of Mr. S. J. Capper, 

 has only a row of dark red-brown dots along the hind 

 margin. 



On the wing in September and the beginning of October. 



Larva cylindrical, with plump well-defined segments, 

 tapering a little in front and behind; head smaller than 

 the second segment, dark brown; dorsal plate rounded 

 behind, velvety-black, through which the subdorsal lines 

 appear conspicuously, and sometimes the dorsal, faintly 

 white or pale ochreous ; upper surface to the spiracles 

 reddish-brown or purplish-brown freckled with dark brown ; 

 dorsal line, when visible, pale brownish-ochreous, often ob- 

 scured by two dark brown lines which enclose it ; and these 

 often run together iu a dark brown spot at the beginning 

 of each segment, are lost in the middle, and reappear at the 

 end, for on the middle of each segment is a diamond shape 

 of dark brown composed of thickly aggregated freckles ; 

 subdorsal lines freckled, dark brown, forming the upper 

 boundary of a , broad side-band of dark freckles which 

 extends to the spiracles; spiracular stripe ill-defined, of a 

 paler tint of the ground colour ; ventral surface pale greyish- 

 violet, with a slight tinge of bluish-green on the anterior 

 segments ; both freckled with pale brown ; usual raised dots 

 indicated by dark brown rings; spiracles black. When young 

 sometimes much darker, with the marks and freckles almost 

 black. The distinct series of diamond shapes down the back, 

 and the broad dark band along the sides, seem effectually to 



