SERICORIDJE—PCECILOCHROMA. 355 



4. P. signatana, DowjL ; kroesmanniana, Hcln. — 

 Expanse ^ incli ( lii mm.). Fore wings browoish-drab, with 

 orange-brown basal blotch and central band, and a black 

 streak from the latter running towards the apex of the wing. 



Antennas slender, notched, brown ; palpi, head, and thorax 

 brownish-drab ; abdomen yellow-brown. Fore wings not 

 narrow, costa fairly arched, apex bluntly angulated, hind 

 margin rather oblique ; brownish-drab or whitish-brown ; 

 costa dotted with dark brown ; basal blotch large, oblique, 

 angulated outwardly, rich brown ; central band similar in 

 colour, ragged, rather narrow ; a black streak runs through 

 it above l;he middle and is continued toward the apex of the 

 wing ; above this are four pairs of white costal dots ; cilia 

 pale brown. Hind "wings pale smoky brown ; cilia whiter. 

 Female similar. 



Underside of the fore wings glossy, smoky brown : costa 

 dotted with yellow. Hind wings glossy pale leaden-grey. 



On the wing in June and July. 



Lakva fat, white with a black head. (J. B. Hodgkiuson.) 



April and May on blackthorn, especially the bushes grow- 

 ing on hedge-banks ; also said to feed on bird-cheny. 



The moth hides during the day in sloe-bushes, from which 

 it maj' be beaten out in the afternoon ; but is rather local, 

 and secret in its habits. At dusk it Hies freely over the 

 same bushes. To be found, though not very commonly, in 

 the New Forest, Hants, and in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Dorset, 

 Wilts, Berks, Devon, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Hereford- 

 shii-e, Essex, Cambs, Cheshire, North Lancashire and West- 

 moreland ; in Wales in Glamorganshire and Pembrokeshire ; 

 and in Scotland in Lanark. So far as I know this is the 

 extent of its range in these Islands. Abroad it inhabits all 

 Central Europe except Holland, also Livonia, Finland, and 

 Jiadeira. 



