116 DOUBLE-SPOTTED MOTH. 



near the hind margin, which is edged with a 

 narrow stripe of yellow. 



The larva feeds on many vegetables, and is 

 sometimes very destructive in gardens, owing to 

 its habit of eating its way into the stem, or 

 sometimes into the very heart of the plant, and 

 remaining underground during the day, so that 

 it cannot readily be detected. When full-fed, 

 it again burrows into the ground, makes a rough 

 kind of cell of earth, and then undergoes its 

 change into the pupa, the Moth appearing in 

 early summer. Owing to these habits of con- 

 cealment, the larva, though more common than 

 gardeners like, is very seldom seen. 



The typical genus of this large family is repre- 

 sented here by the DOUBLE-SPOTTED SQUARE 

 SPOT (Noctua triangulum), a figure of which is 

 given on Plate IX. fig. 2. 



This insect derives its popular name from the 

 markings upon the upper wings, on each of which 

 occurs a nearly square dark spot, accompanied by 

 another of smaller size and not so well defined. 

 There is another dark spot near the tip of each 

 wing. The ground colour of these wings is 

 greyish brown, and the hue of the hind-wings 

 is also brown, but paler, and almost without 

 markings. 



