a82. LEPIDOFTERA, 



brown, the latter barred with pale yellow ; leg-tufts similar, 

 but dusted with purple-brown. 



Variation very slight, but occasional specimens have the 

 ground colour whitish-brown ; in others there is a tinge of 

 grey-brown. Mr. S. J. Capper has a specimen, taken in 

 Durham, of a dark slate-brown ; and in the cabinet of Mr. 

 W. H. B. Fletcher is one in which the dark central clouding 

 is grey-brown, and forms a well-marked band. Scotch and 

 Irish specimens are often rather more strongly clouded with 

 either grey-brown or red-brown. 



On the wing at the end of May and in June, in the north 

 also in July. 



Larva stout, slightly tapering at each end, but otherwise 

 cylindrical ; head black, mouth paler ; dorsal plate barred 

 longitudinally with black and white or brownish-white, the 

 black bars four in number ; body very pale olive-brown or 

 grey-brown ; dorsal line rather broad, greyish-white, edged 

 with short undulating black lines ; subdorsal stripe ill-defined, 

 dusky-white; spiracular line a row of dusky-black dashes, 

 clouded with olive-brown, or else edged with greyish-white 

 and looped with grey-brown ; under-surface very pale grey ; 

 raised dots and spiracles black ; legs and prolegs whitish- 

 grey. 



August to March, hybernating when rather small. On 

 grasses, feeding at night, hiding at the roots in the day 

 time. 



Pupa of the usual form, wing and limb cases hardly glossy, 

 minutely and abundantly sculptured with fine strige and 

 pittings ; eye-covers rather prominent, smooth and glossy ; 

 dorsal segments minutely wrinkled and punctured in broad 

 bands ; abdominal segments more glossy and very faintly 

 punctured, not in distinct bands ; cremaster a round black 

 knob, very obtuse, and furnished with extremely fine small 

 spikes ; general colour bright red-brown. In a rather strong 



