THE MIDDLE-BARRED MINOR. 275 



emerges in the spring ready to attack the young grass shoots 

 as soon as they appear. Where the new growth of ribbon grass 

 assumes a brown and withered appearance this larv^a will probably 

 be found at the bottom of the trouble. When nearly full grown 

 it eats down the interior of the thicker stems to the base. In 

 colour it is ochreous with a pinkish tinge ; a pale brownish 

 plate on first and last rings, each edged with blackish and that 

 on the first ring traversed by a white line ; head pale brown, 

 glossy. The moth flies in July and August, sometimes in June. 



The Marbled Minor {Mia?ia strigilis). 



Half a dozen specimens are shown on Plate 134, and these 

 will serve to give some idea of the range of aberration in this 

 species. The most typical of the species are those represented 

 by Figs. I and 4 ; the farthest removed from the type is 

 v?iX.<T.thiops^ Haworth (Fig. 16). In the reddish var. latruiicula^ 

 Hiibn., as figured by him, the most conspicuous character is 

 the white lower curve of the second cross line, as in Fig. 7. 



The caterpillar is purplish brown above, and ochreous below ; 

 striped on the back with pale yellow, and less distinctly on the 

 sides ; spiracles black and very distinct ; head and plates on 

 the first and last rings of the body ochreous brown and shining. 

 Found in March and April, after hibernation, feeding on the 

 stems of various grasses. The moth is out in June and July, 

 and may frequently be seen at rest on palings, etc., but at 

 night it often abounds at sugar or honey dew. Generally dis- 

 tributed in the British Isles, except perhaps in the islands of 

 Scotland. 



The Middle -barred Minor {Miana fasdunaild). 



In its typical form this species (Plate 134, Fig. 3) has the 

 fore wings reddish ochreous, with a darker central band, and 



