352 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



566. The Six-Striped Rustic (Noctua umbrosa). 



566. THE SIX-STRIPED KUSTIC. The palpi 

 are porrected, the second joint sqxiare at the 

 tip, and the small naked apical joint standing 

 out distinct ; the antennae are slightly serrated 

 in the male ; the colour of the fore wings is 

 reddish-gray, with three dark transverse lines, 

 the first is very short and close to the base of 

 the wing ; the second is zigzag, and precedes 

 the orbicular; the third is beyond the reni- 

 form ; both discoidal spots are clearly defined 

 in outline, but their median area is concolovous 

 with the rest of the wing ; a dark shade 

 crosses the wing between the orbicular and 

 reniform, and another beyond the third line 

 and parallel with the hind margin : the hind 

 wings are gray-brown, the fringe paler, and 

 tinged with red : the head and thorax are 

 reddish-gray ; the body paler. 



The CATERPILLAR is very imperfectly known, 

 as Guenee well observes ; it is said to feed on 

 grass ; but Guene"e thinks it probable that col- 

 lectors have confounded it with that of Noctua 

 xanthographa. Mr. Stainton, on the authority 

 of Treitschke, says it is whitish-gray, with 

 black sub-dorsal lines. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in August, and 

 has been taken in most of our English coun- 

 ties, and also in Scotland, and Mr. Birchall 

 says it is common in most places in Ireland. 

 (The scientific name is Noctua umbrosa.) 



567. The Dotted Clay (Noctua ba/ja). 



567. THE DOTTED CLAY. The palpi are 

 porreeted, the summit of the second joint cut 



off obliquely, and its scales extending beyond 

 the third, which is small and naked, the basal 

 portion of the palpi, extending almost to the 

 tip of the second joint, is rich umber-brown, 

 but the tip of that joint, as well as the whole 

 of the apical joint, is pale brown; the antennae 

 are very slightly serrated in the male, simple 

 in the female: the colour of the fore wings is 

 reddish-brown ; the orbicular is outlined in 

 gray, its median area being concolorous with 

 the ground colour ; the reniform is also out- 

 lined in gray, but its median area is not 

 entirely of the ground colour, the lower half 

 being dark gray-brown ; there is a transverse 

 median shade passing between the discoidal 

 spots, and a transversely elongate dark brown 

 spot on the costa near the tip ; these are the 

 more obvious markings : the hind wings are 

 reddish-brown, inclining to gray on the di.sk, 

 and to gray-brown on the hind margin ; the 

 fringe is pale testaceous-brown ; the head is 

 pale gray-brown ; the front of the thorax 

 testaceous-brown, its disk darker brown ; the 

 body is ferruginous-brown, reddish towards 

 the extremity. 



The CATERPILLAR isyellow-ochreous, marbled 

 with brownish, with yellowish dorsal line 

 edged with black : yellowish sub-dorsal line, 

 from which, on the fifth to the twelfth seg- 

 ment, an oblique yellow streak proceeds to the 

 middle of the back (Hubner). On various 

 low plants. (Stainton's Manual, vol. i. 

 p 237.) 



The MOTH appears on the wing in July, and 

 is generally common in England, Scotland, 

 and Ireland. (The scientific name is Noctua 

 baja.) 



568. The Cousin. German (Noctua sobrina). 



568. THE COUSIN-GERMAN. The palpi are 

 but slightly porrected ; the terminal joint 

 is naked and pointed ; the antenna) are very 



