TRIFID^. 291 



pui'ple-grey colour, all the nervui-es and the dorsal margin 

 striped longitudinally with dark grey. 



On the wing, in multitudes, in June, and sometimes in 

 small numbers, and, as a second generation, in September 

 and October. But in the year 1884 Mr. E. A. Atmore noticed 

 it at King's Lynn, after being, as usual, plentiful in the early 

 summer, to be again abundant through the latter half of 

 August and September. There is, however, no reason to 

 believe that these autumn specimens remain alive through 

 the winter. 



Larva smooth and rather shining, greyish white, or pale 

 purplish grey, or pinkish grey, with the under surface and 

 legs faintly yellowish-brown ; head light brown, with two 

 black or brown bars down the face ; mouth white ; dorsal 

 plate shining, pale brown or pale grey, dorsal and subdorsal 

 lines double, grey, but indistinct, and sometimes obscured 

 with greyish clouding; spiracles black; raised dots grey, 

 shining, each furnished with a single short bristle. 



July to April, feeding through the milder portions of the 

 winter and torpid only in cold weather. But a small propor- 

 tion appear to feed rapidly up by the middle of August, pro- 

 ducing the moths in the same autumn. Whether these pair 

 and deposit eggs in late autumn, and so reinforce the great 

 army of wintering larvae by their additional progeny, is not 

 known, but there is no reason to suppose that this is not the 

 case. On turnip, dock, plantain, grass, green corn, and pro- 

 bably on almost every low growing herbaceous plant. Pro- 

 bably no species of larva is more mischievous and destructive 

 in cultivated fields and gardens. It hides in the ground 

 during the day, and comes onl}' just to the surface at night, 

 when it especially loves to gnaw young plants, close to the 

 surface, in such a manner as to cause them to droop and die. 

 It does not seem to devour roots under ground, but the large 

 bulb of a turnip is its especial delight when tending toward 

 full growth. In this respect it is a dangerous foe to the 



