DESCRIPTIVE NOTICES OF CONSPICUOUS SPECIES 185 



northward it occurs in Yorkshire and Lancashire; it is 

 also not uncommon in Ireland. 



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

 wings are of greyish-ochreous, with four transverse 

 dark hrownish lines, the first near the base and rather 

 abbreviated, the third in the centre of the wing, often 

 thicker than the others. 



A variety, of a darker ground-colour, occurs, in which 

 the second and fourth lines are conspicuous from having 

 paler margins, but the third is almost obliterated in 

 the darker ground-colour. To this variety the name of 

 bilinea had been given. 



The short and thick larva is dark grey or dull reddish- 

 brown, with paler dorsal line, and subdorsal lines, and 

 the spiracular line is darker brown ; spots black, small ; 

 it feeds on plantain in the autumn and spring, growing 

 very slowly. 



The perfect insect appears towards the end of May, 

 and throughout the following month ; it comes very 

 freely to sugar, and may be found not uncommonly 

 flying in grass fields. 



FAMILY VII. NOCTUID^E. 



AOROTI8 EXCLAMATIONI8. THE HEAET 

 AND DAET. 



A most abundant species throughout the country. 



The expansion of the wings is about 1J inch. The 

 fore-wings are of a pale brown, more or less tinged with 

 reddish-grey ; a little below the centre is an elongate, 

 brown-black spot (technically termed the claviform 

 stigma) ; beyond and above this are the two ordinary 

 stigmata, the first often hardly distinguishable from the 



