NONAGRIA. 19 



finely ciliated in the males. The thorax and fore-wings vary 

 from yellowish-brown to greyish-yellow or reddish-brown, 

 with the markings sometimes clearly defined, but not unfre- 

 quently entirely obliterated. The nervures of the fore-wings form 

 white lines, but are dusted with darker in dark reddish-brown 

 specimens. At the point where the median nervure divides 

 is a kind of knot, generally with dark spaces behind it, then 

 a row of small dots, and beyond this a pale band and a row 

 of larger dots or streaks. The situation of the orbicular 

 stigma is marked by a pair of dots, and on the third nervure 

 are two larger dots, in addition to several fine points. The 

 fringes are usually darker, and are bounded by a row of small 

 lunules. The hind-wings are more or less yellowish, with 

 lighter nervures, with a grey or blackish shade between them 

 on the hind margin. The fringes are yellowish, and somewhat 

 dentated. 



The larva is dull flesh-colour, and elongated, and attains 

 a length of from two to two and -a half inches. It has 

 a pale median and two lateral dorsal lines. The head is 

 yellowish-brown, the neck brownish, and the anal plate dark 

 brown. It is shining, and devoid of hairs, and has blackish 

 spiracles. It lives in June on the pith of the reed-mace 

 (Typha latifolia). When nearly full-grown it excavates a 

 chamber in the stem, in which to pass its metamorphosis, 

 and eats away the centre until only a thin layer of vegetable 

 tissue, no thicker than thin paper, separates it from the 

 exterior. When this is done, it returns along the gallery 

 which it has previously made, until it is ready to change into 

 the cylindrical, elongated, yellowish-brown pupa. This is 

 attached by the anal extremity to the wall of the gallery, and 

 hangs with its head downwards a short distance from the 

 opening. 



The moth breaks through the membrane about the middle 



c 2 



