28 LEPJDOPTERA. 



Underside of the fore wings pale drab, slightly clouded 

 with smoky-black and with a small black spot at the reniform 

 stigma. Hind wings yellowish-white dusted with brown, and 

 shaded with the same toward the apex ; central spot small, 

 smoky-black, followed by a slender brown transverse shade. 

 Body and legs pale drab. 



Not very variable, but in western districts, and especially 

 in South Wales, the dorsal half of the fore wings in some 

 specimens, or even the whole surface, is more than usually 

 clouded with rusty-red mixed with black, and the usual 

 small central cloud is increased in size and blackened, some- 

 times spreading into a broad ill-defined leaden-black patch 

 over the dorsal margin. In such examples the pale clouds 

 representing the stigmata are rather more distinct. A much 

 more red form has been taken at Enniskillen, Ireland, by 

 Colonel Partridge. But the most remarkable aberration 

 known to me is in the collection of Mr. Sydney Webb ; 

 in it the surface of the fore and hind wings is dappled over 

 with brownish-white, partially in rings, as though the usual 

 colour had been semi-fluid and had been rained upon ! 



It may be well to observe that, although the darker western 

 forms of this species seem to approach more nearly in colouring 

 to X. scmibrunnca, they are never of the umbrcous ground 

 colour of that species, nor are the fore wings ever so narrow 

 as in it. 



On the wing from September till the beginning of Novem- 

 ber, and, after hybernation, from February till April or the 

 beginning of May. 



Larva nearly uniformly cylindrical, with the segmental 

 divisions conspicuous ; head smooth and globular, quite as 

 broad as the second segment, pale green variegated with 

 white ; skin soft, rather pulpy to the touch ; the usual spots 

 small but distinct; general colour pale green, appearing as 

 though powdered with white ; dorsal line a broad clear white 

 stripe ; subdorsal lines also white but narrower ; spiracular 



