2o8 LEPIDOPTERA. 



rounded off .quite to the dorsal margin, which is rather 

 hollowed and gracefully curved. Colour soft slate-grey, paler 

 or darker, usually with a greenish or yellowish gloss, and the 

 costal margin paler ; basal line rather distinct, black, twice 

 curved and sloping obliquely outward from the costal to the 

 dorsal margin ; first line immediately beyond and parallel 

 with it, double, black, sometimes partially triple ; second line 

 also black, duplicated, undulating, but oblique in the opposite 

 direction, placed so that these two lines are more than double as 

 far apart on the costal as on the dorsal margin ; the costal space 

 between them is very often sharply paler, sometimes almost 

 ashy-grey ; below this, in the discal cell, is a large round or 

 rather squared yellow-grey spot faintly outlined with blackish, 

 representing the orbicular stigma, and by it a very faint 

 suggestion of another spot, smaller, mottled with grey, repre- 

 senting the reniform stigma. Below these the central space 

 is usually darker. Beyond the double second line is a nearly 

 parallel blackish transverse shade, and beyond this a rippled 

 dark grey subterminal line ; also a slender black line at the 

 hind margin ; cilia w^hitish-grey, dashed with dark grey at 

 the nervures. Hind wings short but elongated, and rather 

 pointed at the apex ; rest of the hind margin slightly 

 sinuous ; dark grey, paler or whitish at the base, with a 

 central whitish transverse stripe ; cilia white. Female with 

 the abdomen decidedly stouter, and the hind wings more 

 uniformly smoky-grey ; otherwise similar. 



Underside pale smoky-grey, with two narrow whitish 

 transverse bands on the fore and hind wings, followed in 

 each case by a darker grey parallel band, darkest on the 

 costa ; cilia whitish, spotted in the fore wings with dark 

 grey ; body and legs whitish-brown. 



Variable in the ground colour, and in the depth of colour 

 of the markings. In the South of England the ground colour 

 is usually greenish-grey ; pale slate-grey in the Eastern 

 counties ; in Scotland more shaggy in appearance, with dark 

 greenish-grey or blackish-grey ground colour, and the mark- 



