254 LEPIDOPTERA. 



Usually very constant in colour and markings, but 

 occasionally a remarkable exception is met with ; one now 

 in the collection of Dr. P. B. Mason at Burton-on-Trent is 

 magnificent, the fore wings being suffused with bluish-slate, 

 the hind wings almost black, the usual red areas being 

 wholly suffused with smoky red-black, while the bands are 

 almost blue-black. This specimen was reared by Mr. 

 J. H. Smart, of Plumstead, Kent, from a larva found in 

 that neighbourhood. An example in which the red colour 

 of the hind wings was replaced by blue — as in the last 

 species — appears to have been taken at Colchester in 1889. 

 Another taken at Mitcham, Surrey, in 1888, by Mr. 

 M. Winckley, has the fore wings much darkened, and the 

 hind with the usual red colour replaced by a warm brown, 

 the black bands shot with purple, and a purplish glow over 

 the entire surface. Occasional specimens have the hind 

 wings of a dull brick-red ; and Mr. W. West, of Streatham, 

 has one in which they are shot with yellow. 



On the wing in August and September, occasionally till 

 mid-October. 



Larva elongated, tapering a little to each end, flattened 

 beneath, and having along the sides numerous bristles, which 

 slope downwards and cause it to seem closely appressed to 

 the surface upon which it is resting; above these is an 

 undulating raised longitudinal ridge ; segments transversely 

 wrinkled near the incisions, and having a pair of small brown 

 subdorsal prominences or knobs at each incision ; between 

 those, at the end of the eighth segment, is a larger broad 

 dorsal hump. Head flattened, the face pale grey edged with 

 black, antenna! papilla? brown ; sides of the head mottled 

 with grey and brown ; body pale greyish-brown, abundantly 

 and minutely waved with dark brown, the dorsal and sub- 

 dorsal stripes dark brown and undulating, but rather obscure, 

 the brown waved clouds running into them and being studded 

 with multitudes of minute darker dots ; undersurface pale 



