316 THE NOCTUINA. 



almost entirely upon the leaves of plants, but gene- 

 rally bury themselves in the ground when about to 

 change to the pupa state, and either enclose them- 

 selves in a regular cocoon, or form a chamber in the 

 earth, the surface of which is more or less lined with 

 silken threads. The perfect insects are usually noc- 

 turnal in their habits, and like most animals which 

 select the night for their period of activity, they are, 

 with but few exceptions, of dull colours; different 

 shades of brown and grey, with black markings, being 

 their prevailing tints. Nevertheless there are many 

 species of this numerous tribe which come abroad 

 boldly in the daytime, and these are frequently 

 adorned with bright and even metallic colours : thus 

 the Red Underwing (Catocala Nuptd), one of the 

 largest species, which measures from three inches to 

 three inches and a half across the wings, has the 

 hinder wings of a fine red colour, with a band across 

 the middle, and the hinder margin black; and the 

 Burnished Brass Moth (Plusia chrysitis), in which 

 the anterior wings are adorned with patches of a me- 

 tallic lustre, is frequently seen hovering over flowers 

 during the daytime and sucking them with its long 

 spiral trunk in the same way as the Hawk Moths. 

 Several other species of the genus Plusia have spots 

 of metallic colours on their fore wings, and these 

 sometimes take a curious form ; thus the commonest 

 species has received the name of P. Gamma, from its 

 bearing on each wing a perfect representation of the 

 Greek gamma (7) in silver; some others have V-shaped 

 marks in the same situation, and one a reversed C. 

 The Gamma Moth is found not uncommonly in gardens 

 throughout the summer, as its caterpillar feeds upon 

 several of our cultivated vegetables, and not unfre- 



