TRIFIDJL. 89 



grey-brown, streaked or clouded with whitish toward the 

 base ; cilia pale purple. Female similar, often having the 

 transverse lines and stripes more accentuated ; antennae 

 simple ; abdomen pointed, hardly tufted. 



Underside of fore wings dull smoky-black shading to pale 

 purple along the costa and hind margin, with indications of 

 two transverse smoky stripes beyond the middle ; hind wings 

 shining, whitish, dusted, especially on the nervures. with 

 grey ; costal margin broadly pale purple ; central spot small, 

 blackish ; beyond it is a faint indication of a slender 

 blackish transverse line ; cilia purplish. Variation very 

 slight, and mainly in the depth of the ground colour ; but 

 there is a slight dimorphism, the earlier brood being of a 

 brighter purple-brown, the later smaller in size and usually 

 darker in colour. There is also a tendency toward darker 

 colouring in the northern and western portion of its range, 

 and the spot between the stigmata becomes sometimes black. 



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

 end of August through September, and occasionally into 

 October. 



Larva rather stout ; head somewhat flattened in front, but 

 with the lobes rounded, slightly narrower than the second, 

 and considerably narrower than the third segment ; smooth 

 and shining, of two shades of wainscot-brown ; body cylin- 

 drical, but distinctly tapering towards the head ; segmental 

 folds distinct, but not very conspicuous ; skin soft and 

 smooth ; ground colour pale olive-brown freckled with darker 

 brown ; a smoky-brown pulsating line intercepted through its 

 centre by a distinct pale line, forms the dorsal stripe ; sub- 

 dorsal lines pale, edged above and below with smoky-brown ; 

 and a pale line extends along the spiracles, edged above with 

 smoky-brown, and below with a bi-oad pale yellowish-brown 

 stripe ; spiracles distinct, black ; ventral surface, legs and 

 prolegs serai-translucent, dingy yellowish -green, freckled with 

 minute brown dots. (G. T. Porritt). Variable in ground 



