272 LEPIDOPTERA. 



blotch from the base almost to the middle ; not unfrequently 

 the dorsal spots of the second and third pairs unite, or the 

 large thii*d pair unites into a constricted band. In the hind 

 wings the spots vary greatly in number, some of them, 

 especially toward the base, being- often suppressed. There 

 are many curious aberrations. Mr. S. Webb has one with 

 the fore wings smoky black, except a few irregular pale spots, 

 and the hind wings rather smoky ; another with a black stripe 

 across the base of the hind wings ; and, in Mr. Bond's collec- 

 tion, one with the fore and hind wings buff, having dark 

 markings only along the margin of the fore wings ; another 

 with the hind wings beyond the base entii'ely black, and 

 another with large buff blotches on one fore wing. In the 

 cabinet of the late Mr. H. Doubleday in Bethnal Green 

 Museum is a specimen entirely of a deep smoky black ; Mr. 

 S. Stevens has one with fore and hind wings wholly yellow 

 except the margin and a cross stripe on the fore wings ; Mr. 

 C. A. Briggs one with the hind wings suffused with smoky 

 black ; Mr. S, J. Capper one with the usually black portion 

 of the fore wings leaden-grey dappled with darker; Mr. 

 Crowley one with the hind wings pale cream colour and the 

 spots of the fore wings pure white ; and Mr. H. Goss a speci- 

 men having one fore wing black with two small spots, and 

 the other also black, but with six or seven small pale spots. 



On the wing in May and June. There is a record of one 

 or two out of a large brood, reared in Devonshire, which fed 

 up rapidly in confinement, producing the moths in October, 

 but no record of a second generation out of doors appears to 

 exist. 



Laeva rather stout, each segment being a little thickened ; 

 whole surface abundantly covered with soft hairs. Head 

 prominent, light red or crimson ; body black, with the edges 

 of each segment dark red ; hairs dark red ; spiracles white ; 

 legs black ; prolegs red, the anal pair rather prolonged. 

 When young the head is lighter crimson ; the body with the 

 hairs entirely smoky black ; prolegs pink. 



