CNEPHASTDm—SCIAPHILA. 259 



ratlier narrow, broader near t.he base than in the last species ; 

 apex rounded ; grey or whitish grey or pale slate-grey dusted 

 with black ; outer margin of the basal blotch a thick forked 

 grey-black stripe not reaching the dorsal margin ; central 

 band narrow, oblique, black, repeatedly indented within ; 

 beyond it on the costa are several dark grey dots, and a large 

 similar cloud lies near the hind margin ; cilia dusky white, 

 dusted with grey. Hind wings smoky white. Female very 

 similar, but the body stouter and rather flattened. 



Underside of the fore wings dark smoke-colour, faintly 

 but regularly dotted on the costa with white or pale grey. 

 Hind wings white. 



Varying in both sexes into every shade of darker ground 

 colour to uniform slate-black. Some of very rich dark colour 

 were obtained recently in the Shetland Is:le.«, and sent by 

 Mr. J. J. F. X. King. " 



On the wing in July and August. 



Larva smoky grey-brown ; head dark red-brown ; man- 

 dibles and dorsal plate black ; skin puckered on the sides 

 and transversely folded on the back ; raised dots black, each 

 emitting a short bristle ; anal plate wrinkled, black. (R. 

 South.; 



June ; in the root-crowns of Armcria maritima (and ?). 

 Mr. McArthur states that it feeds also in the root-crowns of 

 Plantago maritima ; but Colonel Partridge tells me that it 

 hides among roots of thrift (^Armcria), its presence indicated 

 by a slight web among the leaves, and the evidence of other 

 observers points clearly to this as its food. Captain Donovan 

 says explicitly " on rocks by the sea the larva; feed on 

 Armcria vidr/aris (maritima) in long silken tubes entwined 

 among the leaves and stems of the plant." 



Pita in the larval tube, in a cbiuk or split of the rock. 



The moth hides itself in the daytime among herbage on 

 the ground either on hill sides or near the coast, and when 



