THE SILKY WAINSCOT. 299 



The Small Rufous {Coenobia mfa). 



Varies from pale ochreous white, through reddish shades, to a 

 greyish brown. (Plate 145, Figs. 9 to 11.) The caterpillar is 

 described by Hofmann, as pale reddish above and whitish below, 

 with minute dark dots on the back and a fine blackish line along 

 the sides ; head and plate on first ring of the body brown and 

 glossy. May and June, in stems of the jointed rush {/uncus 

 IdDiprocarpus). The moth flies in July and August, and occurs 

 in fens and marshes. At one time it was not uncommon in 

 marshy localities around London, and it is still to be obtained 

 in Richmond Park, Surrey. In some years it abounds in the 

 Norfolk and Cambridge fens, and in others is hardly seen. It is 

 also to be found more or less frequently but always local in 

 Suffolk, Essex, Berks, Kent, Sussex, Isle of Wight, Dorset (Isle 

 of Purbeck), Devon, Somerset, Gloucester, North and South 

 Wales, Cheshire, and Yorkshire ; Argyllshire in Scotland ; 

 Ireland. 



The Silky Wainscot {^Senta maritimd). 



In its typical form (Fig. 7) the moth shown on Plate 145 is 

 whity-brown, clouded with grey and sometimes tinged with 

 brownish on the disc. The orbicular and reniform stigmata are 

 round and faintly outlined in whitish. In var. bipunctaia^ 

 Haworth, the stigmata are black and conspicuous : var. wisma- 

 ricnsis^ Schmidt, has a blackish central streak from the base 

 broadening out towards the outer margin (Fig. 8) : var. nigri- 

 stn'ata, Staud., has the fore-wings finely streaked with black ; 

 and var. nii^rocostata^ Staud., has the front margin broadly 

 Ijlack. The caterpillar is ochreous grey with three fine inter- 

 rupted, whitish lines on the back ; spiracles black with darker 

 lines along their area ; head dark brown and shining. September 

 to May, hiding by day in stems of reed {PJimgmitcs) and at night 



