DESCRIPTIVE NOTICES OF CONSPICUOUS SPECIES 155 



distributed in the south of England, but does not extend 

 its northern range into Scotland. 



The expansion of the wings is 1J inch. The fore- 

 wings are of a leaden-grey, with a slender yellow 

 stripe along the costa, of equal width to beyond the 

 middle of the wing and there attenuated to a point at 

 the tip (in the closely allied, but much rarer Lithosia 

 complana, this stripe remains of equal width all the way 

 to the hind-margin). 



The larva is black, with an orange stripe on each side 

 from the sixth to the twelfth segments above the legs. 

 It feeds on the lichens growing on walls, palings, and 

 trunks of trees in autumn and spring. 



The perfect insect appears in July ; it conies very 

 freely to light, and hence it is often found in houses. 



There are several other species of the genus Lithosia, 

 the deep dull yellow attreola, the pale ochreous stra- 

 mineola, the pale grey yrisolea, etc. Aureola may often 

 be obtained by beating fir trees in June and July ; the 

 others are most frequently obtained flying at dusk. 



FAMILY V. LITHOSID^E. 

 CENISTIS QUADRA. THE LARGE FOOTMAN. 



This is not a common species, though widely distri- 

 buted, and occurs as far north as Scarborough ; it is per- 

 haps most plentiful in the New Forest. 



The expansion of the wings is about If inch. 



The two sexes are very different in appearance : the 

 male has the fore-wings of a dull grey, becoming darker 

 towards the hind -margin ; the base is yellow, with a 

 black blotch on the costa. In the female the fore-wings 



