NOCTUAS. 



721. The Burnet Noctaa (Euclidta glyphica). 



721. THE BURNET NOCTUA. The palpi are 

 short and curved upwards, the second joint 

 being clothed with bristly scales ; the terminal 

 joints are short and naked ; the antennae are 

 simple: the fore wings are nearly straight 

 along the costa and slightly arched towards 

 the tip ; their colour is ochreous-brown, in 

 recent specimens glossed with purple ; the 

 reniform is represented by an obscure and 

 ill-defined cloud; the orbicular is indis- 

 tinguishable, the broad hind-marginal area 

 is paler and contains a large and distinct 

 square costal blotch of very dark brown : the 

 hind wings are smoky-brown at the base, and 

 dull orange towards the hind margin; the 

 orange-coloured area is intersected by a waved 

 brown bar, and an irregular hind-marginal 

 band ; the head, thorax, and body are dark 

 gray-brown. 



The CATERPILLAR is figured by Hubner : it 

 rests with the anterior extremity eiovaiea. 

 and the back slightly arched; the head is 

 about equal in width to the second segment ; 

 it is semi-prone and not conspicuously notched 

 on the crown; the body is slender and almost 

 uniformly cylindrical, but tapers towards 

 the anal extremity; there are but two pairs 

 of ventral claspers, and these are on the ninth 

 and tenth segments : the anal claspers are 

 rather long and spreading. The colour of the 

 head is brown with a Y-shaped white mark 

 on the face ; the dorsal area of the body is 

 pale wainscot-brown with four paler stripes 

 extending from the head to the anal claspers; 

 all these are bordered by a delicate black line, 

 and those on each side are intersected by a 

 similar linv +>-e vertral is much darker than 

 the dorsal area; the legs and claspers are con- 

 colorous with the former. It feeds on Dutch 

 clover (Trifolium repens) and turns to a 



CHRYSALIS, which is of a delicate violet colour, 

 and has six or eight short anai points. 



The MOTH appears on the wing in June, and 

 occurs almost everywhere in England, Scot- 

 laud, and Ireland. (The scientific name is 

 Euclidia glyphica.) 



722. The Small Purple-barred (Phytometra 'vnea). 



722. THE SMALL PURPLE-BARRED. 1'he 

 palpi are long, recurved, ascending and later- 

 ally compressed ; the second joint is flat and 

 densely scaly, the terminal slender and 

 pointed ; the antennoe are short and simple in 

 both sexes ; the fore wings have the costa very 

 straight, their colour is olive-green, with the 

 costal margin and two eblique bands of a 

 delicate rosy-purple colour ; the first of these 

 is median, the second (the broader one) hind- 

 marginal ; the hind wings are olive-brown, the 

 hind, margin slightly tinged with purple j the 

 head, thorax, and body are of the same colour 



I as the hind wings. All the wings in some 



i siftemiens are dingy olive-brown. 



The CATERPILLAR feeds on thecommonmilk- 

 wort (Poly gala vulgaris), and has been de- 

 scribed by the Rev. John Hellins : its colour 

 is a velvety full green, scarcely paler on the 

 belly; the head mottled with faint brown; a 

 hasty inspection would scarcely detect any 

 lines, but on looking closely, the dorsal vessel 

 appears as a darker green thread, bordered 

 with paler lines, between which and the 

 spiracles come three pale sub-dorsal lines, 

 the spiracles yellowish; below them a broader 

 pale line, which on segments ten to thirteen 

 becomes whitish. The segmental folds yellow, 

 the usual dots very small, black, surrounded 

 with light rings, and emitting small bristles. 

 When full-fed their walk is semi-looping, and 

 they rest extended straight and flat on the 

 stems of their food-plant ; if disturbed they 

 drop off, and fling themselves about angrily. 



