28o LEPIDOPTERA. 



and almost ovate. Of var. riistica the Rev. W. F. Johnson 

 has obtained, at Armagh, a male of a creamy white, but with 

 nearly the whole fore wings, and the hinder half of the 

 hind wings, softly clouded with grey between the nervures ; 

 specimens almost as pale as this have been reared by 

 Mr. Charles Fenn from larv^ found at Eltham, Kent, and 

 others are reported from Epping Forest. 

 On the wing in May and June. 



Larva short and rather stout. Head round, shining light 

 brown ; body dull greyish brown, with the tubercular spots 

 paler brown ringed with grey ; hairs short and soft, 

 extremely dense, golden brown ; spiracles pale, ringed with 

 black ; beneath them is a row of white dots ; legs and 

 prolegs yellowish brown. Excessively active. When 

 alarmed it drops down and curls into a ring for a short 

 time, then uncurls and glides away with such smoothness 

 and rapidity as to seem to slide. 



June to August upon low plants generally, but partial 

 to dock, chickweed, plantain and red nettle, and will at 

 times eat the leaves of birch. 



Pupa short, thick, and swollen in the middle, very blunt 

 behind, but having a short straight spike ; shining black- 

 brown. In a thin cocoon of silk mixed with the larval hairs, 

 fitting as closely as possible, so as almost to squeeze the 

 pupa. Among rubbish, on weedy banks, or under any slight 

 protection. In this state through the winter. 



A sluggish species and, so far as the male is concerned, 

 very rarely captured in the imago state. The female is often 

 taken, having a habit, when part of her eggs are laid, of 

 flying lazily in the sunshine, when she is very conspicuous. 

 The male has also, though rarely, been found flying in the 

 daytime, but its time of flight is after dusk and through 

 the night, and it comes now and then to a strong light. 



Very widely distributed, and often common, in all the 



