22 LEPIDUPTERA. 



white appearance to the gleam of light given off by the 

 glossy leaf of the thistle ; also, from its habit of closing its 

 wings as closely and narrowly as possible, it simulates, in a 

 remarkable degree, the abundant Hyponoiueuta rognatello,, 

 and may easily be passed over for that species. It doubtless- 

 flies at night, but seems to be very rarely seen in flight. 

 A local species with us, though common where it occurs ; 

 principally confined to extensive sandy tracts such as the 

 " Breck-sands " of the Eastern Counties, and to chalk pits 

 and rough stony spots on chalk downs ; in such suitable 

 spots to be found in Kent, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cam- 

 bridgeshire, Dorset, Wilts, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wor- 

 cestershire, and Herefordshire ; also formerly in Hertford- 

 shire ; but apparently not known in other portions of the 

 United Kingdom. Abroad it is very common and generally 

 distributed through Central Europe, Southern Europe to 

 Turkey ; also in Syria, Armenia, the trans-Caspian region, 

 the mountain regions of Central Asia, Japan, and Northern 

 Africa. 



2. M. cirrigerella, Zk. — Expanse I inch (18-20 mm.). 

 Fore wings elongate, rather broad behind ; shining strarw 

 colour without markings; costa faintly browner. Hind 

 wings smoky-white. 



Antenna of the male simple, faintly bent near the base,, 

 yellow-brown ; palpi short, pointed, sharply upturned, 

 orange-brown ; head and thorax ochreous, the latter 

 shining ; abdomen jjale j^ellow-brown ; anal tuft ochreous. 

 Fore wings but little elongated, and not very narrow ; costa 

 almost straight ; apex bluntly augulated ; hind margin 

 oblique, hardly curved ; colour shining yellowish-ochreous, 

 or straw-colour, without markings, but the costa evenly 

 shaded with yellow-brown ; cilia faintly deeper yellow. Hind 

 wings rather short, rounded behind, smoky yellowish-white, 

 cilia rather paler. Female similar. 



Underside of the fore wings smoky-yellow, the nervures- 



