THE PURPLE MARBLED. 



55 



The species is especially common in the south-west of 

 England, chiefly on the coast, but it seems to occur in most 

 suitable localities in nearly all the southern counties, and its 

 range extends to Gloucestershire on the west and to Norfolk on 

 the east. About seventy-five years ago Stephens used to obtain 

 specimens on a chalky ridge near Hertford, and recently the 

 moth has been found at Hitchin in North Hertfordshire. 



The Purple Marbled {Thalpochares ostrina). 



Two Continental specimens of this little moth are shown on 

 Plate 21, Figs, i typical, 2 ab. carthami. An example of this 

 species was obtained in June, 1825, in a lane near Bideford, 

 Devonshire, and Stephens refers to this as the only specimen of 

 the species that up to that time (1830) had been noted in 

 England. Nothing more was heard of T. ostrina until 1858, 

 when another Devonshire specimen was taken, this time near 

 Torquay, on June 8, and during the month several others were 

 captured on the coast ; two were also secured in the Isle of 

 Wight, and one in Ayrshire, Scotland. In 1865, a specimen was 

 recorded as taken in July a few years previously at Pembrey, 

 South Wales; 1880, one at Dover in September, and one near 

 Swanage ; Barrett mentions specimens taken on the Culver 

 Cliffs, Isle of Wight, in 1859. 



It seems unquestionable that examples of this species 

 captured in Britain, and also of the other two Thalpochares 

 to be presently referred to, are immigrants, and it is quite 

 conceivable that besides the specimens captured here, others 

 which have escaped detection may also have arrived with 

 them. 



The distribution abroad is extensive, embracing South 

 Europe, Turkey, Asia Minor, Egypt, North-west Africa, 

 Madeira, and the Canary Isles. It has also been found in 

 France and Germany, but its occurrence in the latter country 

 has been even less frequent than in England. 



