SERICORID.E—STEGANOPTYCHA. 89 



and not very SAviftly to another bush or tree. At dusk it 

 flies freely over the same trees and bushes. Usually 

 common among birch, and probably to be found through- 

 out England, except perhaps in the Midland Counties, where 

 records are rare ; also throughout the south of Scotland 

 to Perthshire and Aberdeenshire ; but I have no record for 

 Wales, and in Ireland only from Howth, Wicklow ; Mayo, 

 Enniskillen, and Tyrone. Abroad it is generally distributed 

 in Central and Northern Europe and South Siberia. 



8. S. trimaculana, Don. — Expanse f inch (15-17 mm.) 

 Fore wings rather pointed at the apex, yellowish white 

 almost covered with golden brown or dark brown markings 

 — a much angulated basal blotch, central band and apical 

 cloud — all much mottled and dusted. 



Antennee brown \ palpi brownish white ; head and thorax 

 yellow-brown ; abdomen silvery grey. Fore wings even in 

 .width, costa very flatly arched, apex bluntly angulated ; 

 whitish brown or yellowish white, dusted with brown ; basal 

 blotch large, shortly angulated externally, darker red-brown 

 or yellow-brown rippled with joaler colour; this is followed 

 by ground colour on an angulated transverse pale band, 

 usually conspicuous ; central band oblique, broad on the 

 dorsal margin, yellow-brown or dark brown ; apical area 

 mottled with streaks of the same colour ; above are some 

 geminated white costal streaks, below a faint whitish or pale 

 brown ocellus ; cilia mottled grey-brown and white. Hind 

 wings with their cilia pale smoky brown. Female similar 

 but with darker hind wings. 



Underside of the fore wings pale lead-colour with white 

 costal dots. Hind wings leaden white. 



Always and evei-ywhere exceedingly variable, ranging- 

 from pale ochreous with only the faintest trace of markings 

 to smooth blackish brown or reddish brown. 



On the wino' from late in June till Aui'Uat. 



