ii 4 LEP1D0PTERA. 



toward the apex ; central spot black; beyond the middle is a 

 sinuous smoky transverse stripe, outside which the nervures 

 are tinged with the same colour. Body and legs purple-brown 

 with black shading. 



Usually not variable, but Mr. W. H. B. Fletcher has 

 examples of a rich pale chestnut colour devoid of darker 

 shading ; sometimes also the two gold spots are separated 

 only by a faint line. Some years ago I saw in Liverpool 

 some unusual forms which had been reared in autumn from 

 larva? found near Warrington. Of these some had the pair 

 of gold spots quite joined together, while others, in which 

 they were separate, had the first spot of double the normal 

 breadth. Some variation in this direction seems also to occur 

 in Ireland. 



On the wing in June and July, and as a second generation 

 in August and September. This, however, appears only to 

 have been observed locally, more especially in Cheshire, and 

 in Scotland and Ireland, and probably depends in some 

 degree upon the season. 



Larva pale green with a yellow cross-streak on each seg- 

 ment ; dorsal line deep green edged with white, and having 

 on each side several fine yellowish longitudinal lines ; spira- 

 cular stripe white, shaded with dark green ; head brownish- 

 green. (Hofmann.) 



April to June, and in a second generation at the end of 

 June and in July or even August, on various species of 

 Car ex, (sedge) and Fcstuca (grass), also on Sparganium 

 ramosum (bur-reed), Iris pseudacorus (yellow-flag), and even 

 Alisma plantago (water-plantain). 



Pupa at first greenish-yellow or bone-coloured, with the 

 dorsal region brown, when more mature pitchy-black, the limb- 

 cases rather more pitchy-brown and shining, the wing-covers 

 very dull black, yet hardly roughened and showing little or 

 no sculpture ; abdomen slightly glossy, the edges of the seg- 

 ments rather ridged and sharp ; cremaster thick, rather short, 



