1 46 LEPID OP TERA . 



Larva long- and rather slender, smooth and without humps ; 

 head pinkish-white, completely irrorated, except the mouth, 

 with minute blackish dots and lines ; body pale yellowish- 

 grey, covered with brown-black markings in streaks, and 

 irregularly folded and repeated broken-up lines, which form 

 longitudinal stripes, divided by irregular double dorsal, and 

 single subdorsal and spiracular stripes of bright yellow, 

 irregularly broadened and narrowed, but widest near the 

 hinder edge of each segment ; undersurface similar, but with 

 smaller black markings, and paler yellow stripes ; legs and 

 prolegs similar. Described from larvas sent by Mr. W. M. 

 Christy for that purpose. He says that they range in colour 

 from dark purplish-bi'own to putty colour. 



May and June, on birch and hawthorn. Hofmann says 

 larch. Feeding at night. 



Pupa short and thick, head and eye-covers rather promi- 

 nent ; leg-covers well ridged, as are the antenna-covers, the 

 latter also showing the cross-bars of the pectinations : wing- 

 covers finely sculptured with abundant ridges and minute 

 furrows, much roughened thereby ; abdomen rapidly tapering, 

 each segment ]Dlentifully pitted with fine punctures, and not 

 glossy, but the hiud band of each smooth and distinct ; anal 

 segment very suddenly rounded ofi', but having a cremaster 

 like a thick short conical spike, tipped with two very small 

 bristles. Whole surface dull red-brown, but the wing-covers 

 faintly paler. In the earth, but apparently without any 

 cocoon. 



The male moth appears to be very sluggish, hardly inclined 

 to fly even at night, yet the males have casually been seen flying 

 at almost any time of day, even in sunshine. This refers to 

 specimens reared in captivity in the South, in a climate iu 

 which, naturally, the species could not exist. It may also 

 point to a natural daj'-flying habit in a more northern habitat, 

 wliere the night in summer is short or absent. Its habits at 

 large have scarcely been noticed. The female lays its eggs 



