376 LEriDOPTERA. 



The moth sits after emergence upon the seeil-head oi' its 

 food-plant, between the spines, with head pointing inward ; 

 here from the colours and shading of the wings and their 

 slightly projection, it bears a most singular and striking 

 resemblance to the drojiping of a bird ; this has recently 

 been pointed out by ^Ir. II. Fortescue Fryer. It has a strong 

 objection to flying in the day-time, and indeed is seldom 

 ciiptured upon the wing; nearly all the specimens in collec- 

 tions having been reared from the, easily collected, teazle- 

 heads. It is a very local species, by no means to be found 

 whereever its food-plant grows, but very fond of chalky places, 

 and to be found in restricted localities, in Kent, Sussex, 

 Surrey, the Isle of Wight, Wilts, Cornwall, Somerset, Glou- 

 cestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Berks, Oxford- 

 shire, Herts, Essex, Cambs and Yorkshire. This appears to 

 be the extent of its range in these Islands. Abroad it extends 

 over the greater part of Central Eun-pe, Central and Northern 

 Italy, Dalmatia and Bithyuia. 



\\. P. postremana, /'Vi;/. ; penthinana, <S7rt(^f?. C'«(!. — 

 Expanse i to \ inch (12-18 mm.). Fore wings blue-black, 

 varied with dark brown ; two faintly paler clouds on the 

 costa, and one, much paler, at the anal angle. 



Antennae blackish brown ; palpi minute, yellow-brown ; 

 head and thorax black, dusted with dull yellow ; abdomen 

 leaden black ; anal tuft black mixed with dull yellow. Fore 

 wings rather elongated, costa flatly arched, apex bluntly 

 angulated, hind margin rounded ; black-brown, much dusted 

 with oclireous behind, and shaded with blue lines ; before 

 the middle is a faint whitish costal cloud, and beyond the 

 middle another, rather more distinct, of pale ochreous, having 

 a whitish centre ; opposite this, at thi> anal angle is a creamy 

 yellow cloud ; cilia black-brown dusted with pale yellow. 

 Hind wings smoky brown, with a paler cloud toward the 

 base ; cilia white. Female similar. 



Underside of the fore winu's leaden black, with A-ellowish 



