I 



TRIFID.-E. 287 



of Portland pale grey, with but little green marbling, and the 

 pale markings all white or pinkish- white — an exceedingly- 

 pretty form — but all these shades of variation are connected 

 by intermediates. In Mr. S. J. Capper's collection are 

 specimens of a peculiar dull grey with the markings very 

 obscure except that the black wedges near the hind margin 

 are distinct and sharply defined, and the row completed. 



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

 October. 



Larva. — Head obviously narrower than the body, extremely 

 shining, emitting several slender hairs ; body uniformly 

 cylindrical, obese, smooth, with very few, distant, minute 

 hairs, only discoverable under a lens. Head olive- brown, 

 tesselated with paler markings ; body dull olive-brown on 

 the back, pale transparent olive-green on the under surface, 

 the two colours divided by a paler stripe, which includes the 

 spiracles ; down the middle of the back is a series of some- 

 what lozenge-shaped darker markings, and on each side of 

 each of these is a short oblique paler mark, the whole of 

 these markings obscure and indistinct, yet viewed together 

 constituting a dark median stripe, with a paler and inter- 

 rupted stripe on each side ; legs shining, prolegs opaque, 

 both pellucid, and of an orange-green colour. (E. Newman.) 

 Very variable in colour ; while young many are of a soft 

 velvety pale green ; others mottled with deeper green ; when 

 half-grown many retain the green colour, while others 

 become pale or dark olive, and all are freckled with dusky- 

 black on the back and sides. When full-fed some are 

 similar, but the dorsal darker markings are then manifest, 

 often as dusky-black triangles witli their apices pointing 

 forward. 



October or November to May or June on groundsel, chick- 

 weed, dock, dandelion, ragwort, scabious, burnet, sorrel, 

 primrose, Gentranthits rube)', Linaria cymbalaria, and espe- 

 cially on Sedum, acre. Feeding at night, when also it 



