134 LEPIDOPTERA. 



— if disturbed in the daytime, but it is reported soiuetimes 

 to fly of its own accord about the trees in afternoon sunshine. 

 At dusk it flies in a lively manner around the branches of 

 these trees. It lis rather a local species, and usually scarce 

 in the south, but far more plentiful in the west and north ; 

 especial]}^ about clumps of poplars growing on the moors or 

 mosses. It is recorded in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Middlesex, 

 Essex, Staffordshire, Herts, Wilts, Somerset, Gloucester- 

 shii^e, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Derbj^shire, Cheshire, 

 Lancashire, Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumberland; and 

 in Scotland in the Edinburgh district, Perthshire, Dum- 

 bai-tonshire, and the rest of the Clyde district ; and 

 Aberdeenshire. I find no record in Wales, and in Ireland, 

 only that of Colonel Partridge at Enniskillen. Abroad it 

 inhabits Central Europe, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Houmania ; 

 and Southern Kas>:ia. 



2. P. solandriana, Lla.i. — Expanse | inch (18- 

 20 ram.). Fore wings elongated, broad, brown, red -brown, 

 or purple-brown, v/ith a large paler, or white, triangular 

 dorsal blotch ; or with an elongated darker dorsal blotch. 



Antennas and palpi brown ; head and thorax red-brown or 

 umbreous; abdomen pale brown. Fore wings elongated, 

 costa folded at the base and strongly arched beyond ; apex 

 bluntly angulated, hind margin straight and not very 

 oblique; red-brown, umbreous, pale brown or purple- 

 brown ; basal blotch large and strongly but bluntly an- 

 gulated outside, the margin oblique each way, often lost 

 in the ground colour ; adjoining this is a large somewhat 

 trigonate dorsal blotch, sometimes white, more usually 

 some paler shade of brown ; central band cloudy, obHque, 

 not very broad, often hardly distinguishable ; sometimes 

 there are brown clouds towards the apex ; cilia ccu- 

 colorous. Hind wings smoky brown, cilia paler. Female 



