28o European Butterflies and Morns. 



three-quarters of an inch or less. It is local in the mountains of Central and Eastern Europe 

 and in tlie Altai, flying about sunset in July and August. The British variety, * P. Expolita 

 (Stainton), which is common at Darlington and Galway, is thus described by him: — "Fore- 

 wings shining greyish-brown, with more or less of a reddish tinge, with a darker central band ; 

 the whitish lower half of the elbowed line forming the inner edge of a pale, not sharply 

 defined, band before the hind margin ; hind-wings dark grey, with whitish fringes." This 

 species is sometimes placed in the genus Miana. 



GENUS IV. — MESOTROSTA (LED.). 



The male is slender, and the female rather stout ; fore-wings short, with powdery scales, and 

 with no distinct transverse lines. The only species, M. Signalis (Tr.), has clay-coloured fore-wings, 

 with a leaden lustre ; a yellow dot instead of the orbicular stigma, and a whitish eye-spot instead 

 of the reniform stigma ; the elbowed and subterminal lines indistinctly light, and the hind-wings 

 brownish-grey. Expands about three-quarters of an inch. It inhabits South-Eastern Europe 

 in May, flying by day. 



GENUS V. — PROTHYMIA (lliJBN.). 



Fore-wings with no stigmata or transverse lines, but with an indistinct subterminal line. 

 The moths fly during the day. The commonest species, *P. Viridaria, Clerck {Laccata, Scop. ; 

 CEuea, W. V.), has dark olive-grey fore-wings, with a straight purplish-red central band and hind 

 margin ; hind-wings brownish-grey, with purplish fringes. Expands about three-quarters of an 

 inch. It is common in Europe and Northern and Western Asia from May to August. The larva 

 is green, with several very pale longitudinal lines. It feeds on Polygala vulgaris in August and 

 September. {P. Sanctiflorentis, Boisd., is olive-grey, with the hind margin and central band brownish- 

 red ; the fore-wings with the reniform stigma composed of two dark dots ; fringes rosy at the tips. 

 Expands about i inch. It inhabits Spain. P. Batieri, Stand., supposed to be from Andalusia, 

 has greenish-grey fore-wings, with a black spot in the middle of the costa, and two oblique darker 

 transverse lines in the middle ; hind-wings dirty white, very strongly dusted with black atoms. 

 P. Conicepliala, Stand., from the extreme south of Europe, and Western Asia, has straw-coloured 

 fore-wings, with a small black dot at the lower end of the discoidal cell, and two transverse dark 

 bands beyond, which are more or less indistinct ; hind-wings pale yellow.) 



GENUS VI. — TROTIIISA (HUBN.). 



Comprises a number of small moths, the largest not expanding more than i^ inches ; the fore- 

 wings are short and broad, with a very long and gradually curved, or shorter and somewhat arched 

 hind margin, and long fringes, covered with powdery scales, with the pattern irregular and the 

 colour variable, generally with a dark transverse stripe in the middle, bordered with paler, and 

 often divided into two halves of different colours. The larva; are short and thick, with twelve 

 legs and short fine hairs. They often feed on the seeds of plants, and undergo their trans- 

 formations in a cocoon or in the ground. The moths fly in the sunshine in dry sandy or 

 chalky places, and are chiefly met with in the south of Eurnije. The smaller species arc 

 liable to be mistaken for Tortriccs or other JSIicrolcpidoptcra, and thus overlooked. 



I. T. Arcuinna (Hiibn.). — The colour varies from pale grey to dark brownish; fore-wings 

 with a dark central stripe composed of three rather flattened curves, bordered with white behind, 

 and a pale subterminal line, strongly zigzag in the middle ; hind-wings with two whitish and 

 widely-separated curved stripes. Expands about i^ inches. Inhabits Andalusia and South- 

 Eastern Europe in July. 



