STIGMONOTID^—GRAPHOLITHA. 213 



nearly straight, apex bluntly angulatecl, almost rounded ; 

 white softly streaked with pale grey ; basal blotch faintly 

 indicated in grey-brown clouding, which is edged outwardly 

 by two oblique, darker, clouded spots on the dorsal area ; 

 costa distinctly and obliquely streaked with grey-brown ; 

 ocellus containing in its white area two short grey lines, 

 sometimes dotted with black ; cilia smoky-white. Hind 

 wings and their cilia smoky-white. Female similar. 



Underside of the fore wings leaden-black ; costal dots, 

 dorsal margin, and hinder cilia white. Hind wings silky white. 



On the wing in Jul}^ 



Larva plump, much wrinkled, each segment divided 

 transversely by a fold ; dull white, with the raised dots 

 shining white ; dorsal line narrow, subdorsal lines broad, 

 dull purple, interrupted at every segmental division and 

 fold : head shining brown ; dorsal plate large, broadly 

 dull white in front, shading off to brown behind, but with a 

 white middle line; anal plate and legs mottled, brown and 

 white ; prolegs white. Rather sluggish. 



September and October on Artemisia maritima (sea- 

 wormwood) on the flowers, living in the flower spike, uniting 

 the blossoms together by a silken tube which runs up the 

 spike, and devouring them and the young seeds. When 

 full fed leaving the plant and spinning up among debris, or 

 in the mud of the salt marsh in which this plant often grows, 

 remaining nine or ten months in cocoon as a larva. 



The moth is sluggish and unwilling to fly in the daytime, 

 though a specimen may now and then be kicked out from 

 among its food-plant in the sunshine. It appears to frequent 

 no other plant, and late in the afternoon crawls up it, and 

 may then be swept off. Towards sunset it flies of its own 

 accord, buzzing about the tops of the same plants, and look- 

 ing exceedingly white while on the wing. Definitely re- 

 stricted to the sea-coast, and there to the margins or dryer 



