I30 LEPIDOrTERA. 



along their middle ; below the subdorsal stripe, midway be- 

 tween it and the spiracles, is a longitudinal pale line, and 

 upon each segment, above it, three transverse pale streaks, 

 and two below it ; spiracles black ; immediately below them 

 is a broad, pale spiracular stripe edged and freckled like 

 those above it ; the ventral surface paler than the general 

 colour and with a pale golden-brown gloss, shining and 

 translucent ; legs and prolegs greyish-green or brown. 



When young, pale olive-green with the lines whitish. 

 Very much like the larvfe of Hdiophohus poimlarh and H. 

 ccspitis. 



March to June or July on grasses, preferring the harder 

 and smoother species, feeding at night on the grass-leaves, 

 hiding among the roots by day. The winter is passed in the 

 egg state. 



Pupa shining, blackish-brown, hardly described ; in a 

 neatly-formed chamber in the earth, or under moss, or among 

 grass-roots and rubbish. 



The moth has somewhat curious habits. Sometimes the 

 males fly in multitudes from 8 a.m. for about half an hour, 

 sometimes at 10 a.m., or indeed at any time between 8 and 

 11 o'clock in the morning. At this time they are extremely 

 lively, and frequent the flowers of ragwort, thistle, Stachys 

 hetonica and other plants, some of them remaining for the 

 day upon the thistle or ragwort blossom upon which they 

 may have been seated when the day's activity suddenly 

 ceased. Usually the females are totally quiescent at this 

 time, sitting at the roots of the grass and herbage or among 

 heather, but occasionally, under the influence of hot sunshine, 

 they are roused into great activity. The experience of the 

 late Major J. N. Still, on Dartmoor, Devon, in 1894, is of too 

 great interest to be overlooked : " On August oOth, while walk- 

 ing over that portion of Dartmoor between Classenwell Pool 

 and Princestown, a distance of four or five miles, C. fjraminis 

 appeared in thousands. They were continually on the wing. 



