NEURIA. 27 



serrated, and the legs are brown, blackish beneath. The 

 ground-colour of the fore-wings is light grey or yellowish-grey. 

 The costa is streaked with dark brown in several places. All 

 the nervures are dotted or streaked with brown. There is 

 scarcely a trace of transverse striation, and the stigmata are 

 also only slightly indicated, but the central area of the wings 

 shows a dark irregularly-shaped blotch, which terminates in a 

 white spot on the inner side. Next comes a paler space, 

 containing a double row of brown dots. The sub-marginal 

 line forms a distinct W, and beyond it the wings are darkest, 

 being sometimes of a deep rusty brown tint. An indistinct 

 double streak connects the inner margin with the white spot 

 mentioned above. The fringes are dentated, and enclose 

 lighter lines. The hind-wings are yellowish, with brown 

 nervures and a central lunule, and a broad border of the same 

 colour. The fringes are whitish or brownish. 



The first reliable account of the larva was published by 

 J. E. Robson in the Entomologist's Weekly Intelligencer for 

 1860. He says: "The larva of X. lithoxylea being marked 

 * unknown,' I beg to say I have bred the insect this summer 

 from a larva found at the roots of grass ; it was of large size ; 

 colour dirty white, with a bluish tinge below ; head and tail 

 black, with two rows of black shining spots on each segment, 

 one hair in each spot. I found it on the 8th of May ; it 

 seemed then nearly full fed ; the perfect insect appeared on 

 the 8th of July." 



GENUS NEURIA. 



Neuria, Guenee, Ann. Soc. Ent. France, x. p. 241 (1841) ; 

 id. Spec. Gdn. Ldpid. Noct. i. p. 166 (1852). 



In this genus the antennae are short, and slightly ciliated, 

 especially in the male ; the palpi are short, slightly longer than 

 the head, and ascending; the last joint is conical. The body 



