PHYC/TW.-E—ACROBAS/S. J 



Underside of the fore wings shining smoke colour, the 

 costa having a yelloiver tinge, which is cut across by a. 

 blackish line, and this last edged on the costa with pale 

 yellow. Hind wings smoky-white. Body whitish-brown. 



Rather liable to local variation ; specimens of a very rich 

 dark purple form have been obtained in Suffolk ; and ia 

 South Wales I found a local race decidedly larger in 

 expanse of wing, and of a richer, more crimson, or crimson- 

 gre}' colour. This last bears a close resemblance to A.Soda- 

 lella, Zell ; and at the time I was disposed to refer it to that 

 form or species, but now am convinced to the contrary, and 

 satisfied that it is only a local form of the species under con- 

 sideration. 



On the wing from the end of June till August, and rarely 

 in a partial second generation in October. 



Larva five-eighths of an inch long and rather slender ; 

 head and dorsal plate pale brown with a black dot in the 

 front of each lobe of the head ; ground colour greenish-grey ; 

 dorsal and sub-dorsal stripes smok}--olive colour, the latter 

 followed by a stripe apparently paler than the ground colour, 

 with a smokj'-olive stripe below it, and on the lower edge of 

 the latter the black spiracles ; segments and sub-dividing 

 folds deeply cut. (W. Buckler.) 



September till June, on oak, drawing together the leaves, 

 sometimes the surfaces of two together, sometimes forming a 

 bunch with a good deal of silk in tubes and loose threads ; 

 eating the substance of the leaves but leaving the skin, with 

 its silken attachments. Occasionally it feeds up in the 

 autumn and emerges as a second brood — but whether in this 

 case a second larval generation is produced is uncertain — 

 otherwise feeding \x\i in spring after hybernation among the 

 leaves. 



PriPA light brown ; in a silken cocoon, covered with th& 

 dry excrement, and affixed to one of the gnawed leaves. 



