THE GENERA OF BRITISH MOTHS. 73 
describe that which I have assigned to H. Banksiana as the larva of H. Uncana. It is not uncommon in many 
places, especially at Lyndhurst, York, &c., and was once taken in some numbers at Cambridge. 
Hyela Bankiana (the Silver Barred), the other species, is very scarce. The Caterpillar is green, darker 
on the back, with a lateral stripe, and has fourteen legs. It feeds on grasses. The perfect insect appears in 
July, at which season Mr. Haworth was the first to capture it in any number. He discovered it in a boggy 
situation in Norfolk among reeds and rushes. It has since been taken at Whittlesea Mere and at Killarney. 
These two species are made separate genera by some authors. 
The twentieth sub-family of Noctuide is that of the Micradi, containing two genera, Eromene and Trothisa. 
The genus Bromene. The insects in this genus have the antennw short, and slightly pubescent in the 
male. The fore wings are pointed at the tip, and are marked with distinct lines, but have no stigmata. The 
Caterpillars have twelve legs, and are rather thick, but pointed at the extremities. The pupa is found in an 
oval cocoon spun among leaves. There is only one British species. 
Eromene Ostrina (the Purple Marbled, No. 10) is extremely rare. The larva is unknown, but a specimen 
of the perfect insect was taken near Bideford in 1825. 
The genus Zrothisa, This genus has the antenne short and filiform in both sexes. The thorax and 
abdomen are not crested. The wings are deeply fringed. The Caterpillar is thick, with attenuate extremities ; 
and has twelve legs. The pupa is enclosed in a cocoon spun among leaves or moss. The perfect insects fly 
by day. The hind wings are somewhat narrow, and but faintly bordered with a darker colour. 
Trothisa Haworthana (the Small Marbled, No, 11) is very rare, and has been doubted as a true British 
species. The specimen in the British Museum, from which my drawing was made, is said to have been taken 
many years ago, but the locality appears uncertain. It is omitted in some British lists. 
The twenty-first sub-family of the Noctwide is that of the Zrastridi, containing two genera, Hrastria 
and Prothymia, 
The genus Erastria, The perfect insects have the antenne simply filiform in both sexes. The fore wings 
have some of the ordinary markings of Noctuwide distinctly defined. The hind wings are less narrow than in 
the last genus, and are more strongly marked in some of the species. The Caterpillars have fourteen legs, and 
the pupa is formed among leaves or moss. There are two British species. 
Erastria Fuscula (The Marbled White Spot, No. 12) is a pretty little insect, the white patch at the 
posterior angle of the fore wings, and the full unbroken brown tone of the hind wings, giving it a very distinct 
character. The Caterpillar (No. 13) feeds on the Bramble, and the Moth appears in June. It has been taken 
at Brighton, Bristol, Lewes, Worcester, &c., and is not at all uncommon in many other localities. 
The other species, #. Venustula (the Rosy Marbled), is extremely rare. Mr. H. Doubleday, in June, 
1845, saw several of this pretty species in a heathy part of Epping Forest, but the next day not a single 
specimen was to be found. The larva is unknown. No other places are recorded as having afforded recent 
specimens. 
The genus Prothymia. The insects assigned to this genus are distinguished from all the nearly-allied 
species, according to Mr. Westwood, by the long, ascending, compressed palpi, with a long ensiform 
terminal joint ; the antenne are slender and simple in both sexes. The thorax and abdomen are not crested. 
The perfect insect flies by day. 
Prothymia Enea (the Small Purple Barred, No. 14) is very variable in the colour of the anterior wings, 
which are often without the purple tone from which it derives its popular name. The larva has not been 
accurately described. The Moth appears in June and July, and is not uncommon on heaths in the southern 
counties. 
The twenty-second sub-family of the Noctwide is that of the Ophiusidi, containing the British genera 
Ophiusa and Ophiodes. 
The genus Ophiusa. The insects in this genus are of moderate size. The thorax is smooth, but with 
