274 LEPIDOPTERA. 



wings of a rich dark or pale slate-grey, with the first and 

 second lines and the central band enclosed by them, slate- 

 black or deep black, very bright and conspicuous ; the sub- 

 terminal line dusted with purple, and its inner edging deep 

 black ; the head and thorax slate-grey, but the antennae light 

 brown ; the hind wings as in the last described ; thorax 

 agreeing with the fore wings. This race is known — appa- 

 rently correctly — as var. Bcdi ; and it must be admitted that, 

 as varietal names, these have the advantage of not being 

 vitiated or even rendered vague and useless by all shades of 

 intermediate forms. In rare instances, however, the last 

 described variety has the central bar very narroiv and deeply 

 black. In the collection of the late Mr. H. Doubleday at 

 Bethnal Green Museum is a lovely specimen of a paler slate- 

 grey — the precise tinge of that in Agrotis Ashworthii — with 

 the central band darker slate-grey, but the lines bordering 

 it grey-black. 



On the wing in August, September and the beginning of 

 October. 



Larva elongate, cylindrical, velvety ; head rounded, green, 

 hardly shining ; mouth black ; general colour bright apple- 

 green, minutely irrorated with grey ; a grey dorsal shade 

 very frequently forms blackish dots at the incisions of the 

 segments ; subdorsal line white, distinct ; a broad yellowish 

 or greenish-white spiracular band, its upper and lower 

 margins white, the former edged with a violet line, which 

 joins the white spiracles ; under surface slightly paler than 

 the ground colour ; legs and prolegs tinged with purple. 



A variety occurs having the white subdorsal lines repre- 

 sented by series of grey or dark ferruginous dashes. 



When young, pale apple-green, with a white spiracular 

 line ; this becomes fainter when the larva is three-fourths 

 grown, but at maturity resumes its bright colour, and is 

 accompanied by the violet edging. (C. Fenn.) 



Mr. Buckler says that the very young larva has a dark 



