240 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



stigma. Except that the yellowish submarginal line is some- 

 times obscured, the species is very constant in the British Isles. 

 Abroad, a form without the white mark is known as unicolor^ 

 Stand., and one or two examples have been recorded as occur- 

 ring in England, two in 1895 said to have been reared by a 

 northern collector from caterpillars obtained in the London 

 district. The caterpillar figured on Plate 129, Fig. 2, was pale 

 green with darker green markings. In another form the 

 colour is pale brown with the markings darker brown. It is 

 found from August to October on all sorts of low plants, and in 

 the garden, where it is often common in the suburbs of London, 

 is very fond of the foliage of Anemone japonica and lupin, 

 among other plants. The moth is out in July and August, but 

 is not often common north of the Midlands, though it occurs, or 

 has been found in almost all the counties of England. Its 

 occurrence in Scotland seems to be doubtful, and Kane states 

 that it is rare in Ireland, and almost absent from the northern 

 counties. Its range abroad extends to China and Japan. 



The White Colon {Mamestra albicolon). 



Two specimens of this species are shown on Plate 120, 

 Figs. 7, 8. It will be noted that, except for the two white dots 

 at the lower outer edge, the outline of the reniform mark is 

 very obscure ; these dots are placed one below the other, thus 

 forming a :, hence the English name of the moth. Blackish 

 specimens have been obtained on the east coast of Scotland. 



The caterpillar is green or bluish grey, with a dark-edged 

 pale central line ; spiracles white, margined with black. 

 Barrett states that it feeds in June and July, and probably as a 

 partial second generation in September, on plantain, dandelion, 

 and other low plants growing in sand ; probably also on 

 A triplex^ Chenopodiiun^ and Cruciferae ; but it is a larva of 

 secret habits and is very little known. 



