294 LEPIDOPTERA. 



much less frequently, apparently not occurring beyond the 

 Forth and Solway. It has disappeared entirely from some 

 localities in which it was formerly common, such as Hartle- 

 pool, Durham, where it once occurred freely, yet of which 

 Mr. J. E. Robsou says, " one solitary specimen is all that has 

 been seen in my time." In Ireland it is exceedingly un- 

 common, if even it still exists. The only locality given by 

 the late Mr. Birchall was the Murrough of Wicklow. Abroad 

 it is found throughout Europe, except the Polar regions, and 

 in Northern and Western Asia, the Altai district, Amur, and 

 Japan. 



5. H. comma, L. — Expanse \\ to 1| inch. Light ful- 

 vous, broadly clouded with brown ; underside of hind wings 

 with silvery white spots. 



Thorax robust ; abdomen rather long ; club of the antennae 

 with a short reflexed point or hook. Fore wings long and 

 narrow and very pointed ; costal margin nearly straight, but 

 dilated near the base ; hind margin extremely oblique, and 

 slightly sinuous. Hind wings rounded, but with an indenta- 

 tion before the anal angle. Male bright fulvous ; base of fore 

 wings faintly tinged with golden brown ; costal margin nar- 

 rowly brown beyond the middle ; apex and hind margin 

 broadly clouded with brown, darkest at the extreme margins ; 

 in the clouded portion before the apex is a broken and elbowed 

 series of six yellowish fulvous spots — three close together near 

 the costa and only separated by the darker nervures, two, 

 similarly separated, nearer the hind margin, and one, of a 

 wedge shape, at the end of the discal cell. From the base of 

 the dorsal margin arises a black oblique streak, much obscured 

 by golden brown scales until it crosses the subdorsal ner- 

 viire, after which it becomes broad and deep black, but with 

 a silvery or glistening steely streak along its centre, and lies 

 all along the underside of the discal cell. Below it is the 

 usual crowded mass of upraised scales. Hind wings dark 

 fulvous or pale golden brown, having the maj-gin broadly dark 



