238 LEPIDOPTERA. 



dark brown transverse band, occupying the hinder half of the 

 wing, and darkest at its inner margin ; cilia purplish white, 

 intersected by a brown line ; body and legs purple-brown. 



Usually very little variable, except in the depth of the 

 dark marbling. The liability to rapid fading of the purple 

 colour during life has already been alluded to. In Mr. Percy 

 Bright's collection is a curious aberration — a female with 

 wings of extraordinary breadth. 



On the wing in June and the beginning of July, and, as a 

 partial second generation, in August. 



Larva plump, but tapering in front and with the head rather 

 small ; anal prolegs rather extended behind; head light brown, 

 with a darker brown streak down the inner side of each lobe ; 

 body very pale green, or yellow green, tinged with orange-red 

 toward the head ; dorsal line pale grey and having proceeding 

 from it an oblique orange-red or purplish-red streak on each 

 side, forming a series of V's, of which the apices point back- 

 wards, one on each segment ; subdorsal line hardly percep- 

 tible; spiracular line just traceable, and from it oblique 

 orange-red streaks proceed toward the feet. When young 

 bright green without any orange-red colouring. 



July and August, and a partial second generation in 

 September. 



On the young seeds of Silene injlata^ S. maritima, Lychnis 

 Jlos-cuculi, and occasionally other species of the same genera, 

 and of Dianthus. Not absolutely confined to the seeds, but 

 when these become ripe and hard, feeding readily upon the 

 leaves, and except when quite young, hiding itself in the 

 daytime among the lower leaves, or in the debris under the 

 plant ; crawling up at night to feed. 



Pupa of the usual Noctua form, except that the wing covers 

 are swollen at their edges, and there is a somewhat com- 

 pressed knob at their extremity, containing the tip of the 

 long tongue ; wing covers almost smooth, but very finely 

 sculptured with minute lines and punctures ; anterior portion 



