202 BEITISH BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 



throughout the country, occurring throughout Scotland 

 and also in Ireland. 



The expansion of the wings is from 2 to 2J inches. 

 The fore-wings are ochreous, with a broad, deep, 

 reddish-brown stripe along the inner margin, and 

 reaching to the stigmata ; of these the orbicular stigma 

 is indistinct and obliquely placed ; the reniform stigma 

 is much more distinct and perpendicularly placed, and 

 a black dash runs from it to the sub terminal line. 



The remarkably handsome larva is of a dark green, 

 with pale yellow subdorsal lines ; the slender spiracular 

 line is yellow, edged with black ; the spiracles are 

 yellow, and the spots white, edged with black. It feeds 

 in May and June, on various meadow-plants and marsh- 

 plants. 



The perfect insect appears in September and October, 

 and comes freely to sugar ; it lives through the winter, 

 and is sometimes found at sallow-blossoms in March 

 and April. 



The allied Sword- Grass Moth (C. exoleia) is much 

 commoner, but not nearly so handsome, as C. vetusta ; 

 its habits are very similar, and its larva is the more 

 beautiful of the two. 



FAMILY XI. XYLINID.E. 

 CUCULLIA VERBASCI. THE MULLEIN SHARK. 



This handsome species is pretty generally distributed 

 in the south of England, but seems rather partial to 

 chalk or limestone localities ; it does not occur in 

 Scotland, but is common in Ireland in the counties of 

 Dublin and Wicklow. 



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



