8 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



The pupa is found in late autumn and early spring at the 

 foot of the tree on which the larva has fed, between fallen 

 leaves which it has spun together. 



FAMILY XLI. AGROTID^E. 



This and the following families of Noctuce. differ from the 

 Thyatirida essentially by the discoidal nervule rising near 

 to or (rarely in the earlier families) from the same point 

 as the upper median nervule, in which latter case it resembles 

 a fourth median nervule, and the median nervure is then said 

 to be four-branched. Sometimes, however, this nervule rises 

 from the middle of the cell in the hind-wings. 



There is a peculiar arrangement of markings found in the 

 fore-wings of a great number of Moths, but most often in the 

 Noctuce, which is so well marked that it is called the " Noctua 

 pattern." 



The fore-wing is crossed by four transverse lines. One, 

 towards the base, is generally incomplete below, and is called 

 the half-line ; the next is the first transverse line, and is 

 situated before the middle. There is rather a wide space 

 between this and the second transverse line, or elbowed line, 

 and towards the hind margin is the sub-terminal line, which 

 not infrequently forms a W. These lines may be present or 

 absent, or straight or zig-zag, but some of them are nearly 

 always visible. Between the first and second transverse lines 

 are two markings, one usually placed in the cell and rounded ; 

 the other covering the end of the cell and somewhat kidney- 

 shaped. These are called the "orbicular stigma" and the 

 " reniform stigma " respectively ; and towards the inner margin, 

 below the orbicular stigma, we often find a third mark, forming 

 a long triangle or streak, and called the " claviform stigma." 

 Between the orbicular and reniform stigma, we often find 



