GEOMETERS. 



79 



182. The Circellate (Acidalia circellata). 



182. THE CIRCELLATE. The antennae are 

 simple iu both sexes; all the wings are ample, 

 and of a pale gray colour, with a silky gloss; 

 the fore wings have two narrow transverse 

 lines ; the fin.t is bent towards the base of 

 the wing before it reaches the costa ; the 

 second is oblique and waved, and is situated 

 beyond the middle of the wing ; between the 

 two transverse lines is a linear discoidal spot, 

 in a faint linear shade ; this linear shade is 

 continued across the hind wings, and beyond 

 this is a very distinct, but irregular, dark 

 line; there is a very small discoidal spot in 

 the centre of the wing; round the hind 

 margin of all the wings is a series of very 

 distinct black spots. 



This delicate and beautiful little MOTH 

 appears on the wing in June, and has only 

 been taken in one English locality that I am 

 aware of; there is no Scotch or Irish locality 

 recorded. (The scientific name is Acidalia 

 circellata.) 



183. The Lace Border (Acidalia ornate). 



183. THE LACE BORDER. All the wings are 

 silvery white, with an exquisitely beautifu? 

 broad border parallel to the hind margin : the 

 border consists of, first, a delicate, black, zig- 

 zag line : -beyond this are two waved, broader, 

 and less distinct lines, somewhat smoke- 

 coloured, but having a gloss like mother-of- 

 pearl; the first of these broad lines includes 

 two brownish blotches, the first blotch rather 

 above the middle, the second on the inner 

 margin : these lines do not quite reach the 



costal margin ; the outer one is the shorter of 

 the two ; on the extreme hind margin of all 

 the wings is a series of short, blackish lines, 

 placed end to end, and beyond these the 

 fringe is alternately brown and white : be- 

 tween the border and the base of the fore 

 wings is a pale brown transverse line; and 

 again, half way between this and the base, is a 

 row of black dots, three, four, or five, arranged 

 transversely : the hind wings have a very 

 pale, central, transverse line, and a black dot 

 in the middle of it : the head, thorax, and 

 body are silvery white. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June and 

 August, and is very abundant on chalky 

 soils in England, but has not been reported 

 from Scotland or Ireland. (The scientific 

 name is Acidalia ornata.) 



184. The Mullein Wave (Acidalia promutata). 



184. THE MULLEIN WAVE. All the wings 

 are gray, tinged with, ochreous yellow, and 

 sprinkled all over with minute black specks : 

 the fore wings have four transverse markings, 

 the first of which is a tolerably distinct line 

 near the base : this line is often broken up 

 and divided into spots : the second is a very 

 indistinct and cloudy bar, having a black spot 

 in the middle : the third is a zigzag, dark line 

 parallel with the hind border; and the fourth 

 is an obscure and interrupted cloudy band : 

 on the extreme hind margin is a row of very 

 distinct, short, black lines placed end to end, 

 and the fringe is sprinkled with black dots : 

 the hind wings are very similar to the fore 

 wings, and the head, thorax, and body are of 

 the same colour as the wings. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June and 

 July, and has occurred rather freely in the 

 south-western counties of England, but I 

 thinknotin the eastern counties; it is reported 

 from Radnorshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, and 

 Northumberland, but not from Scotland. As 

 regards Ireland, Mr. Birchall reports it from. 



