72 OK A DELTOID MOTH NEW TO BRITAIN. 



day. The perfect insect is tolerably common in the south of 

 France, but rarer in the middle, in summer and autumn, often 

 even in December and January : (Delamain), in damp and shady 

 places, beneath bridges, and even more frequently settled on the 

 ceiling in the lower parts of houses." 



J. H. Kaltenbach (in Die Pflanzer-Feinde aus der Classe der 

 Insekten 11 Abtheil, p. 531, Stuttgardt, 1872) observes (under 

 the heading oiParietaria ojficinalis) that "the Caterpillar of this 

 Moth lives on the above plant on walls in shady places, retiring 

 to the roots in sunshine. It is full grown at the end of May, and 

 undergoes its transformation in a compact white web ; the Moth 

 appearing in from twelve to fifteen days." 



DESCRIPTION OF Hypena olsitalis FROM THE BRITISH EXAMPLE. 

 Width 14 lines. 



Upper icings rather pointed at the anterior extremity, and their 

 outer margin slightly sinuously curved. They are of a dusky 

 blackish brown hue, varied with black, grey, and dull clay- 

 colour. The black markings consist of more or less distinct and 

 irregular transverse lines, of which the main line crosses near the 

 middle of the wing, and has a strong, angular, nose-like point 

 directed outwards a little above the middle of the line. Near 

 the apex of the wing (which is of a pale clay colour) are several 

 black spots or markings, the lower ones forming one or two rather 

 distinct longitudinal dashes. Above the nose-like point is a lar- 

 gish pale clay-coloured suffused patch, continued slightly down- 

 wards as a faint line, and forming a sort to margin of the main 

 black line. The posterior angle of the wing is also somewhat 

 suffused with clay colour. On the inner side of the "nose " is a 

 black spot, with which are associated some pale raised scales 

 forming a kind of ocellus ; other similar raised scales are also 

 found, in fine specimens, on other parts of the wing ; but these 

 are mostly wanting in the British specimen. Near the base of 

 the upper wings is another rather indistinct transverse black 

 angulated line, best marked towards the lower margin. The 

 space between this line $nd that near the middle of the wing is 



