94 LEPIDOPTERA 



of the thorax rather elevated at its hinder edge. Pale reddish 

 brown, with the eyes black, limbs outlined with dark brown, 

 and the abdomen ringed with pale yellowish brown, the 

 usual rows of raised points being dark brown. In a cavity 

 under the bark of the birch trunk, or, when in a stump, the 

 cocoon is formed just within the upper surface under the 

 bark where cut through. 



The moth emerges about 10 a.m. and flies in a lively manner 

 about birch trees and bushes early in the afternoon, but is 

 hardly distinguishable upon the wing except by its belt of 

 bright colour. Even then its resemblance to a large ichneu- 

 mon fly is extraordinary, so that there is constant likelihood of 

 its being overlooked. It may occasionally be seen upon blossoms 

 of EujpkorUa amygdaloidcs (Wood-spurge) but does not 

 seem to frequent other flowers, and when seen is usually at rest 

 on a leaf of a birch bush or some adjacent shrub. It is common 

 in Tilgate Forest and in other birch woods in Sussex and 

 Kent, found also in Surrey, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Somerset, 

 Glamorganshire and other parts of Wales, Staffordshire, 

 Herefordshire, Yorkvshire, and very rarely in Lancashire ; 

 doubtless in other districts, but overlooked or not recorded. 

 In Scotland it is found in the Clyde district ; also in Perth- 

 shire, at Braemar ; and in the Aberdeen district. I have a 

 memorandum of its capture many years ago at Killarney, 

 Ireland, by the late Mr. E. Birchall, of the correctness of which 

 I have no doubt, but it does not appear in the list which he 

 published in 1868. Abroad it is widely distributed through- 

 out Northern and Central Europe, Piedmont, Hungary, Dal- 

 matia, Southern Russia, Siberia, and Armenia. 



U. S. formicaeformis, Eqj. Expanse f to 1 inch. Wings 

 transparent ; tip of fore wings red ; abdominal belt red. 



Antenna) blue-black, head and thorax black, abdomen black, 

 bronzy towards the base, with a broad central belt of rich 

 vermilion ; anal tuft broad, black, edged with white at the 

 sides; legs blue-black, with white tufts at the joints; wings 



