NOCTUAS. 



451 



held clear of the ground in crawling ; the 

 twelfth segment is humped, and the hump is 

 concave, culminating in two lateral points ; 

 the outline of the caterpillar from this last 

 hump descends perpendicularly to the anal 

 pair of clampers, and these evidently pass under 

 the body whenever moved forward in walking. 

 The prevailing colour is olive-green or dingy 

 brown, very variable ; the second, third, and 

 fourth segments being deeper olive-brown, 

 with a whitish central dorsal stripe, and 

 generally also a short lateral stripe of the 

 .same pale hue; the fifth and sixth segments 

 have each a dark velvety patch on the middle 

 of the back, which I have already described 

 as humped ; on the fifth segment this patch is 

 triangular, the apex of the triangle being 

 anterior, and the triangle surrounded by a 

 whitish margin ; the patch on the sixth seg- 

 ment is rounded before and behind, and there 

 margined with white, but open and not dis- 

 tinctly margined on the sides ; the twelfth 

 segment has a transversely oblong dark velvet 

 patch, surrounded with a white line ; on all 

 the segments, from the fifth to the twelfth 

 inclusive, is a rather indistinct and narrow 

 white stripe just above the spiracles, which 

 are also white; above this lateral stripe is an 

 oblique line of the same colour on each seg- 

 ment. It feeds on the stinging-nettle ( Urtica 

 dioica) and hop (Humulus lupulinus), and is 

 full-fed about the end of September, when it 

 spins up amongst the leaves. 



The MOTH appears on the wing twice in the 

 year, in June and August, and seems to have 

 been found in England, Scotland, and Ireland, 

 whereverinvestigated by entomologists. (The 

 scientific name is Abrostola triplasia.} 



697. iTie Scarce Burnished Brass (Plusia orichalcea). 

 69T. THE SCARCE BURNISHED BRASS. The 



palpiarecurvedupwards in front of ths frontal 

 tuft; the second joint is scaly, the terminal 

 joint long, slender, pointed, and almost naked ; 

 the antennae are simple : the fore wings are 

 nearly straight on the costa, and slightly bent 

 and pointed at the tip; their colour is umber- 

 brown, suffused in recent specimens with a 

 purple glow ; they are transversed by two 

 transverse lines, the outer of which divides a 

 large gold coloured metallic blotch, which is 

 situated near the apical angle: the hind wings 

 are gray-brown : the head, thorax, and body 

 are brown : the body crested. 



The CATERPILLAR is green, the medio-dorsal 

 line white, edged with a wavy streak, the 

 spiracular stripe broad and white, edged above 

 with dark green; spots white (Treitschke). 

 It feeds on hemp-agrimony (Eupatoriumcanna- 

 binum). (Stainton's Manual, vol. i. p. 306). 



The MOTH appears on the wing in August, 

 and is always regarded as a great rarity by 

 entomologists : Mr. Reading informs us it 

 has been taken by Mr. E. Lethbridge, near 

 Plymbridge, and under the Hoe, at Plymouth ; 

 the specimens were flying from flower to 

 flower in open daylight; Mr. Dale has taken 

 it in Dorsetshire ; Mr. Harding, near Deal, in 

 Kent ; and Mr. Jenner Fust reports it for his 

 thirteenth subprovince, which includes Glou- 

 cestershire and Monmouthshire. (The scientific 

 name is Plusia orichalcea.) 



Obs. I do not possess a specimen of this 

 beautiful moth, and have to acknowledge my 

 obligation to Mr. Bond for his kindness in 

 lending me one to figure and describe. 



698. The Burnished Brasa (Plusia chrysitis). 



698. THE BURNISHED BRASS. The palpi 

 are curved upwards in front of the frontal 

 tuft, the second joint is scaly ; the terminal 



