106 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



in the marginal band of the hind wings ; in one of my 

 specimens this is scarcely darkened. 



The caterpillar has been described by Treitschke and 

 Freyer, and figured by Hiibner. Although it is not uncommonly 

 found, in some countries, on Artemisia in September, 1 am 

 unable to find a detailed description, so translate Treitschke. 

 The larva may generally be found in the autumn on the 

 field mugvvort {Artemisia campestris) at the time when this 

 twiggy plant is on bloom ; it is yellowish green, with the 

 dorsal and subdorsal lines blackish ; its whole surface is 

 covered with small black dots and fine blackish streaks, 

 with many black hairs proceeding from each dot, which 

 form, as it were, small tufts; the head is reddish brown, 

 spotted with black. It also varies to green at the sides, the 

 ground colour being gray ; these are divided by a white 

 lateral stripe ; it remains yellow above, otherwise like the 

 ordinary form. It undergoes its transformation to tlie pupa 

 state in a slight and loose cocoon either in the earth or- 

 amongst the debris of its food-plant. The pupa is slender, 

 reddish-brown and greenish on the wing-cases. 



The moth appears on the wing in May, June, July, August 

 and September — all these months being given by different 

 authorities consulted; whether it is double-brooded, or, like 

 many of its congeners, uncertain as to its appearance, seems 

 doubtful — probably only the latter, though Heinemann refers 

 distinctly to the two broods. Professor Heriug says — " very 

 capricious in its appearance, rare in some years whilst in 

 others very common." Thus the double-brooded theory 

 has probably arisen from the uncertainty of its appearance 

 in varied localities; but if it be true that the larvae only feed 

 on the flowers and seeds of mugwort, we can scarcely have 

 more than one distinct brood, though the time of its dura- 

 tion in the pupa stale may be variable, as we know to be the 

 case with many other Lepidoptera. 



On the Continent this species is very widely distributed, 

 and is not rare, though Britain is probably its extreme 

 northern limit in Europe. Dr. Staudinger, in the Staudinger- 

 Wocke ' Catalog,' says: — "Europa centralis (exceptus Batavia 

 et Belgica); Livonia; Gallia meridionalis ; Pedemontium ; 

 Turcia septentiionalis; Rossia meridionalis; Altai Montes." 

 Guenee says: — "Autriche, Hongrie, France meridionale, 



