TRIFIDAC. 269 



pinkish-lilac, which after a few weeks totally disappears • 

 when present it is spread over the whole of the fore wings, 

 but is most conspicuous on the hind margin and cilia. A 

 curious aberration in the collection of Mr. S. Stevens has 

 the two upper stigmata joined together and converted into 

 a single long loop. Dr. Mason has one of which the ground 

 colour is pale yellowish-grey. 



On the wing from the end of August to the beginning of 

 October. 



Larva moderately stout, the head polished and very 

 slightly narrower than the second segment ; body cylindrical 

 and of nearly uniform width throughout ; segmental divisions 

 well defined ; skin soft and smooth ; colour stony greyish- 

 brown, in some specimens strongly suffused with rust-colour, 

 more particularly so at the segmental divisions. Head pale 

 brown with darker mandibles, and a conspicuous streak of 

 dark sienna-brown on the upper part of the inner side of 

 each lobe ; two slender dark smoky lines, enclosing between 

 them an indistinct pale line, form the dorsal stripe ; subdorsal 

 lines greyish-yellow, bordered above by a series of longitudinal 

 dull black streaks, and below by a series of large marks of a 

 similar colour, these lower marks, however, being very indis- 

 tinct on the frontal segments 5 there is only a faint indication 

 of a very fine pale line along the spiracles, which themselves 

 are intensely black ; ventral surface, legs, and prolegs uni- 

 formly of a dingy grey tint, and the skin so translucent that 

 the working of the muscles of the whole surface can be dis- 

 tinctly seen through it. (G. T. Porritt.) 



September to March on grasses — Poa annua, Tritkum 

 repens, and apparently on any grass growing upon the clift- 

 slopes which it frequents ; also occasionally on low plants 

 such as lettuce and plantain. The remarks of Lieutenant E. W. 

 Browne on this larva are interesting : " Wishing to learn some- 

 thing of its habits, on 18th February, 1890, I began to search 

 the grass in localities where the imago had been plentiful, and 



