loo LEPIDOPTERA. 



much obscured by dark scales. Beyond the second line is a 

 row of ill-defined round black spots edged inside with whitish, 

 lying parallel with the hind margin, except that the one nearest 

 the apex is placed further back. Along the hind margin is a 

 row of blackish dashes, the lower of them curiously bent and 

 angulated ; cilia rather long, dark grey dashed with whitish. 

 Hind wings short, rounded, the costal margin clothed with long 

 loosely projecting scales, and the dorsal half covered from the 

 base with long fluffy scales ; grey-brown, paler at the base, 

 tinged with reddish towards the dorsal margin ; the costal 

 area darker brown, with large ashy-white marginal blotches ; 

 cilia white with dark grey dashes. Female larger, with very 

 short, simple antennae, hind wings darker, otherwise similar. 

 When at rest the fore wings are folded closely together, 

 so that the scales of the dorsal margin stand up in a ridge 

 over the back ; but the hind wings are laid flatly down, and 

 extend outside the costal margin of the fore wings, so that 

 there is a broad flap of hind wing, barred with white, visible 

 on each side. 



Underside of fore wings greyish-white with long grey 

 shades between the nervures : that portion lying under the 

 discal cell densely covered with long raised scales : hind 

 wings and body greyish-white ; legs grey above, whitish 

 beneath, with large dense downy white tufts ; anal tuft 

 shining white. In the female the fore wings beneath are 

 nearly unicolorous grey. 



Variation is mainly in the depth of the grey-brown colour- 

 ing and in the reddish tinge of the dorsal region. In some 

 cases the latter is absent, in others it is extended halfway 

 across the wings ; usually it is strongest in the male. A 

 large female taken near Reading by Mr. W. Holland is 

 mainly of a very pale ashy-grey, with the costal half of the 

 dark band also pale, but the submarginal row of spots very 

 dark and conspicuous ; others are smoky black, some quite 

 smooth and shining, the usual lines and one or two spots 

 whitish, and the cilia strongly dashed with white. This last 



