58 RARE AND LOCAL LEPIDOPTERA. 



two oblique white markings. A conspicuous one on the lower 

 lobe is formed by the long white fringe near the extremity on the 

 lower margin ; and is brought into relief by a black dash on its 

 inner side. There are also one or two other black dashes, and 

 some black points, formed by minute black scales on these lobes, 

 giving that part a prettily variegated appearance The lower 

 wings are three-lobed, unicolorous, and destitute of any black 

 scales. The body is similar in colour to the wings, and variegated 

 with chocolate and white. The legs are greyish brown, the ex- 

 tremities annulated with darker and white, and furnished with long 

 blackish and white spurs. 



This pretty and fragile little insect was found from August 23rd 

 to September 4th. We were returning home, wearied with a long 

 afternoon's fruitless search for Lycana argiades, and slowly tramping 

 through a bog, often over ankle deep in water, when my son 

 Arthur called my attention to a little plume moth, which he 

 thought to be Pterophorus bipunctidactylus'& very common 

 species of this group ; before I could get to the spot, however, it 

 had disappeared. Soon another was seen and captured, when a 

 single glance told me I had never seen the species before. A 

 close search followed, and several more were netted before dark- 

 ness came on. A reference to our books and collections on 

 reaching home informed us of the value of our find ; and, almost 

 every succeeding evening, at all fitting in point of weather, found 

 some or other of us slowly and stedfastly working the bog until 

 the whole brood was out and over. So far as our experience goes, 

 it scarcely ever moves of its own accord until about half-an hour, 

 or often less, before sunset, and for a very short time after; 

 indeed, of its own accord it was seldom seen flying, generally not 

 flying until disturbed, when it would flitter up gnat-like among the 

 bog grass and rushes, and jerkily fly off for, at most, a few yards, 

 settling again on a blade of grass with its two long-spurred hind 

 legs stuck out, one on each side, in a very characteristic way. On 

 some evenings it would not fly at all ; the most favourable kind 

 of evening appeared to be a quiet, dewy, damp one, after a bright 



