200 BBITISH BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 



fore-wings are of a dull, dark red; beyond the middle 

 is a small, deep, orange spot (being the reniform 

 stigma); towards the hind-margin is a whitish trans- 

 verse line. 



The larva is ochreous -brown, dotted with white ; the 

 dorsal line is brown, the subdorsal line pale ; the 

 spiracular line is bright-yellow, edged above with 

 blackish. It feeds in August and September on 

 various low plants. 



The perfect insect appears in June, and may be met 

 with flying after dusk ; it comes freely both to sugar 

 and light. 



FAMILY X. 

 HADENA PISL THE BROOM-MOTH. 



This species seems very generally distributed, and is 

 usually common; in the south of Ireland, near Kil- 

 larney, the larva occurred by thousands in boggy places 

 in July, 1865. 



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

 fore-wings are of a pale reddish-brown, marbled with 

 darker, with no conspicuous markings except a rather 

 indented pale-yellowish transverse line a little before 

 the hind-margin ; the lower end of this line is broadest, 

 and it turns abruptly towards the anal angle. 



The larva varies in the ground-colour from dark 

 green to reddish-brown, but the subdorsal and spira- 

 cular lines are conspicuously pale yellow, so that it is 

 always a handsome larva. It feeds on broom and 

 various low plants in August and September. The 

 swarms of larvae in Ireland were feeding on Myrica 

 Gale (bog myrtle), and all sorts of bog plants. 



