114 BROAD-BORDERED MOTH. 



favourite food, it makes great havoc even among 



garden flowers. 



There is a very admirable article on this 

 insect in Mr. Newman's ** Illustrated Natural 

 History of British Moths," which is too long to 

 be inserted entire, and too full of matter for con* 

 densation. 



Of the handsome and conspicuous Underwing 

 Moths we take two examples, the first of 

 which is the Broad-bordered Yellow Under- 

 wing {Triphcena fimbria), a figure of which is 

 seen on Plate VIII. fig. 8. In these Moths 

 there is much more colour than is usual among 

 the Noctuae, and, contrary to the general rule, 

 the brightest colours are in the hind pair of 

 wings. The reason for this arrangement is 

 obvious. When the Moth is at rest, the upper 

 pair of wings close over the lower and completely 

 hide them, so that, in spite of the bright colour- 

 ing, the insect looks very sombre, and, when 

 resting upon the trunk of a tree or similar 

 object, is scarcely to be detected, even by prac- 

 tised eyes. 



The colour of the upper wings is brown, rather 

 variable in different specimens, some having a 

 decidedly green tinge, while the majority are a 



