338 THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



the fore wings and the hind wings are occasionally dull 

 orange ; and I have noted specimens in the Weybridge district, 

 Surrey, with the spots on the fore wings of a pinky ochreous 

 colour, whilst the hind wings were of the usual crimson. Such 

 " aberrations " as those last mentioned probably result from 

 weather exposure. In 1899, Mr. G. B. Corbin recorded the 

 capture, near Ringvvood, Hants, of a specimen which had the 

 spots on the fore wings and the red of the hind wings darkened 

 over with dull smoky black, so that the insect when seen at a 

 distance seemed to be wholly black. Dr. Hodgson has recently 

 obtained several of these melanic specimens in Sussex. A form 

 with the spots and hind wings suffused with brownish has been 

 named ab. obscura^ Oberthiir. 



With regard to six-spot examples referred to this species, I 

 am inclined to suppose that they may be the offspring of a 

 chance pairing of trifolii and filipendula. That such crossing 

 does occur in nature I have evidence, as on one occasion I 

 found four mixed pairs, the male being trifolii in each case, 

 and the female V^y^xzdXfilipetidulce. This was in the Weybridge 

 district, where I had come across a colony of the latter species 

 and was closely examining the specimens for aberrations. 



The caterpillar (Plate 145, Fig. 3) is green inclining to 

 yellowish and to bluish, with black marks on the back ; a series 

 of black streaks low down along the sides. It feeds on Lotus 

 corniculatiis, and on other trefoils and clover : July to May. 

 Sometimes taking two years to complete its changes. 



In damp meadows the moth is out in May and June, but in 

 marshes it does not appear, as a rule, until July, and may be 

 found in early August. The marsh specimens, which are 

 sometimes rather large in size, have been referred to palustris, 

 Oberthiir, and are treated by Tutt (^Nat. Hist. Brit. Lep.^ vol. i.) 

 as a sub-species. 



In the British Isles, the species is apparently confined to 

 England and North Wales. In the former country it is locally 



