“170 fHE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
taken from the last week in July to the second week in 
August in profusion, either at sugar or on the flowers of the 
ragwort, even by day, on all our sandhills and heaths from 
the North of Scotland to the south coast. 
A. tritict may be distinguished by the colours being more 
sharply bright than in A. aquilina; the ground colour of the 
fore wings is grayish brown,—that is, the gray is more visible 
than in A. aquilina, where it is suffused with a brownish tint, 
having a strong inclination to ochreous. In A. tritici the 
streak, from the base near the costa, is more sharply defined 
and lighter in colour. ‘The subterminal line in A. tritici is 
much more distinct than that of A. aquilina; also the hind 
margin of the reniform stigma is much better defined; 
whereas in many specimens of A. aquilina it is scarcely 
visible. 
A. tritici is much more variable than A. aquilina: it varies 
from a strongly-marked, clean, black and white form,—very 
like Agrotis obelisca,—to an almost unicolorous brownish 
gray, without any distinct marking; while A. aquilina only 
varies in intensity and depth of colour. A. aquilina is larger, 
and a generally stronger moth. 
Let me advise all who have any doubt about the identity 
of either species to rear each from its early larval state. 
The larva of A. tritici may be found commonly during May 
at the roots of the various species of stonecrop which abound 
ov our coasts, especially Sedum acre, as well as at the roots 
of grass aud of almost any flowering plant; while that of A. 
aquilina more frequently feeds upon the leaves than the 
roots. The larve of both species feed at night. 
Agrotis tritict. 
The head of the Larva 
is shining pale brown, mar- 
bled with darker brown; the 
2nd segment has a dark brown 
smooth plate ; along the back 
is a broad gray-brown stripe, 
followed by a narrower line 
considerably paler, and a 
narrow lateral stripe on each 
side, also pale brown; the 
Agrolis aquilina. 
The Larva of Agrotis aqui- 
lina is slightly larger than 
that of Agrotis tritici: the 
head is light gray-brown, 
marbled with very dark brown; 
the back dingy brown; the 
dorsal line pale brown, which 
with the subdorsal line runs 
through the blackish plate on 
the 2nd segment; below this 
