66 LEPTDOPTERA. 



with the reniform stigma more yellow, often bright yellow ; 

 other markings more obscure and the dark brown or blackish 

 shades absent or replaced by purple-red ; hind wings hardly 

 darker, but the cilia light yellow. 



Underside of the fore wings smoky-blackish in the middle ; 

 costal and hind margins reddish ; dorsal margin whitish ; 

 beyond the middle is a smoky-black transverse stripe ; hind 

 wings white dusted with brown and with the whole costal 

 region broadly dusted with purple-red, which also tinges the 

 cilia ; central spot distinct, blackish ; beyond it is a slender 

 blackish undulated and curved transverse stripe. Body 

 shining greyish-brown, tufts and also leg-tufts purple-red ; 

 legs dark brown. 



The male is variable in the depth of brown colouring, and 

 still more so in shading of umbreous or bistre-brown, and also 

 in some instances takes a tinge of the purple-brown of the 

 female ; its markings are sometimes distinct, at others alto- 

 gether obscured. In the female the principal variation is in 

 the shade of purple-brown or purple-red. But in Ireland 

 these colours are intensified, the female more particularly being 

 of a very deep dark purple-red, sometimes even purple-black, 

 the male following in the same direction and both being of 

 rather large size. Similar variations, though hardly so 

 extreme, are found in Scotland, some with the yellow stigma 

 conspicuous, others in which it is obscure, while pale ochreous 

 and pale brown forms, some of them with all the markings 

 distinct, are obtained in that country. 



On the wing at the end of July and in August. 



Larva tolerably cylindrical, but tapering a little from the 

 sixth segment to the head, which is narrower than the second 

 segment ; the thirteenth also tapers and slopes down to the 

 anal extremity ; head rather pale brown ; on the back of the 

 second segment is a darker brown velvety patch or plate, 

 rounded behind, and margined in front with still darker 

 brown ; raised spots small, black ; spiracles also black ; 



