DESCKIPTIVE NOTICES OF CONSPICUOUS SPECIES 237 



The perfect insect appears in May, and continues to 

 be met with during the summer ; in forward seasons I 

 have met with it in the middle of April ; it flies by day 

 over the short turf on dry chalky or sandy hillsides, 

 settling on flowers. The allied species, Pyrausta puni- 

 cealis and P. ostrinalis, have very similar habits. 



FAMILY VI. ENNYCHID^:. 



ENNYCEIA CINGULALIS. THE SILVEK- 

 BARRED SABLE. 



This neatly-marked insect is widely distributed, and 

 occurs at any rate as far north as Edinburgh, where I 

 have repeatedly taken it on the slippery slopes of 

 Arthur's Seat ; it also occurs on grassy slopes in Dum- 

 bartonshire ; in Ireland it does not appear to have been 

 observed. 



The expansion of the wings is a little more than 

 J inch. All the wings are black, with a slender slightly 

 curved white band, central in the hind-wings, but a 

 little beyond the middle of the fore-wings ; the fore- 

 wings are of rather a deeper black than the hind-wings, 

 and sometimes they show a slender whitish band near 

 the base, which is not however continued on the hind- 

 wings. 



The larva appears to have hitherto escaped observa- 

 tion. 



The perfect insect appears in May, and continues to 

 occur during the summer, frequenting grassy hillsides, 

 and flying by day in the hottest sunshine. 



The closely allied E. anguinulis, readily distinguished 

 by the more wavy white band of the fore-wings being 

 often preceded by a distinct white spot, and by the pale 



