92 LEPIDOPTERA. 



blotch broad, outwardly squared, black-brown ; central band 

 very oblique, clouded ; costa clouded to the apex. 



Antenna3 black-brown ; palpi, head, and thorax pale brown 

 or dark brown ; abdomen light brown. Fore wings elongate, 

 rather narrow, costa nearly straight, apex bluntly angu- 

 lated, hind margin perpendicular and short ; greyish white 

 or brownish white; basal blotch dark brown or black, elon- 

 gated in the dorsal portion, its edge angulated and bent 

 obliquely back ; costal portion often obliterated ; central 

 band very oblique, slender, cloudy black-brown ; costa from 

 the middle broadly dark brown with twin white streaks at 

 the edge ; ocellus pale brown, obscure, but with two or three 

 brown dots : hind margin edged with black ; cilia grey- 

 Hind wings and their cilia smoky brown. Female similar, 

 often larger. 



Underside of the fore wings leaden brown, with minute 

 white costal dots in pairs. Hind wings leaden white. 



Very variable, more especially in the degree of suffusion 

 of the fore wings, with some darker shade of brown or black, 

 but every possible degree of variation is shown, from pale or 

 whitish ground colour, with sharp black-brown or red-brown 

 markings, to black-brown and unicolorous. 



On the wing from the end of July till September. 



Larva active, cylindrical, dirty pale yellow, or greyish 

 white ; with the dorsal vessel darker ; head and dorsal plate 

 black ; anal plate green ; raised dots shining but obscure. 



May and June on holly {Ilex aqidfoliutii) in a young shoot, 

 which is very closely spun up and having the youngest 

 leaves drawn together. Also in the young shoots of fruit 

 trees, living in the heart of the shoot, and in hawthorn, 

 blackthorn, crab, mountain ash, and buckthorn. 



Pupa light brown ; spun up among rubbish. 



The moth is exceedingly abundant, in hedges and among 

 fruit trees, in England and Wales, flying out in response to 



